Finding Players (Recruitment)Look for players for chatroom, play-by-post, or even real-life games here. Threads will expire after 3 months, so be sure to move important information to your OOC thread.
1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)?
3.5 with some PF rules sprinkled in between
2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)?
Epic, homebrewed setting of the players creation.
3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?
4-5
4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)?
OOTS
5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?
26th
6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?
WBL, +20,000 xp
7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes?
Homebrewed classes are fine, run them by me first.
Epic destinies are great, same as above.
Any 3.5 printed class is game, but cheese is not allowed.
8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?
Preferably humanoid in shape and composition, although tis open to anything. (with good reason)
9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?
32 point buy, roll or average HP/level
10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?
Yes
11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?
Yes, no penalty.
12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them?
I will do initiative, passive checks and so forth.
Players will do attacks and active checks.
All rolls will be spoilered in the threads posts.
13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.
HERE:
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Force affects prevent teleportation affects
Gates work on the same plane
Social interaction skills are completely RP based, having max ranks in them only provides an edge when talking to NPC's (shifted starting attitude), but no rolls for Bluff, gather info, diplomacy etc...They are still in play and should still be bought with skill ranks (as no ranks means negative starting attitude)
Light fortification is the maximum allowed.
1.5 cost for stacked magic items. (creating custom magic items is way cooler, give them custom names instead of Ring of pro +5, Evasion & Force Shield)
Retroactive skill points
2 traits, no flaws (unless there is a really good reason for it)
LA buyoff is allowed (note extra 20k XP, which allows for up to a +2LA worth 16)
No crafting during character creation.
Pathfinder crafting (as in no XP burn)
1 Feat every odd level
No stat can be added to something more than once
Adding a stat as a bonus to something is capped at the level of the class that provides the bonus (A Paladin 5 can only add +5 Cha to all its saves)
Leadership is ok (and suggested)
Leadership shenanigans is not ok
All followers come with NPC WBL
All Cohorts come with NPC WBL
Cohorts Start with 28 point buy
Mages Disjunction does not destroy items (use this one)
Moar to come
14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)?
Yes.
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An advanced character background is a must, you will need to also describe the empire/Kingdom you are from and you specific role in that said empire/kingdom. Feel free to be the king/queen of it, or the archmage or something with a lot of power. The world is going to be the PC's kingdoms interacting with one another, so the more in depth and creative you are, the more fun everyone will have. The world is literally going to be created by you all. The level of power for your PC's is the top 1%, you all will be able to crush most living things and/or armies. It is going to be about your interaction and the political fallout of your actions against other countries.
Feel free to be at war with one another, or secret alliances etc...
15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?
Some combat, but a lot of scheming, plotting, backstabbing and politics.
16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters?
Pass everything by me.
What level of optimization do you, and the other players, prefer to play with?
Dragon magazine allowed on case by case basis?
Do you want us to detail city defenses?
Do we have a "budget" for our nations like Drack's game? Or just be reasonable.
Monstrous cohorts allowed like a dragon? How would I calculate that... My cohort will be lvl 17 so... CR 17? Other?
Not sure if I'm doing it wrong but my math doesn't match yours for the LA buyoff. I don't usually play with it so wanna get this straight:
La+2 means you have to have 6 class levels to buy one off. You take your ECL of 8, subtract one and multiply by 1000. That's 7k xp.
Now you need 3 more levels to buy the other one off. So now you have 9 class levels. You take your ECL of 10, subtract 1, and multiply by 1000. That's 9k xp.
Combine those two for a total of 16k xp leaving you with 4k xp into level 26.
The Land of Rainbows (,faeries, pixie-dust, and unicorns)
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The Land of Rainbows
Overview
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The Land of Rainbows was created by a great conquer long past. The Land of Rainbows is probably best known for it's beautiful women, and handsome men, as well as their astounding innate aptitude in all fields of magic.
"What is it to be a mage?" A common question, and one to which a famous Land of rainbows philosopher replied. Magecraft is not the ability to move mountains or flood valleys, but to elegantly dance one's fingers through the fine strings of fate spinning beautiful lace that all others may adore for all eternity. Bending the stars, the earth, and the vary gods themselves into their weave, and in this doing more then any petty second rate sorcerer could do.
This theory seems to be all too well supported as even in the defenses of the city the sheer elegance of it. Ten thousand prismic spheres larger than life wrap around the city fitted together so perfectly that the wall it's self is naught but a foot thick. Naturally every house is coated in various runes, and most of them are even invented by the residents as the entire city is filled with powerful magi.
Since before anyone could remember any with the slightest physical deformity were killed at birth leading to the charismatic resents seen today, as is the case with any of weaker or ugly magics.
Law and Order
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Unsurprisingly there is little need for any enforcement of any of the extensive legal code, but when it happens that an "unclean element" needs to vanish the whole of the nation bands together driving out the impurity
Commerce
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The Land of Rainbows sits at the end of civilized lands easily holding off the hordes from beyond Brokeman's Pass (the largest mountain pass in the world leading to the outer-lands), and as such they do not fall upon any major trade routs. All the same there are public gate keys assessable to all citizens allowing them free travel an transportation anywhere across the world, and as such when a merchant from the Land of Rainbows is in town they will likely buy the whole of what other merchants offer instantly transporting it across the world for resale. This coupled with their highly prized spellcasting services sustains the Land of Rainbows is lavished luxury.
Religion
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Citizens of The Land of Rainbows know better than to believe any god is worth their notice, as the city had repeatedly outdone gods in their great magical wonders. In fact not a single member could be caught unable to tell you of one such miracle they had personally witnessed or participated in the working of.
Magic
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The first such wonder was when a mage by the name of Gartroth Yennew invented the Magic Fountain. Unfortunately he perished before he could tell anyone how it functioned. The device its self allowed countless magi to pour their magical energies into it over extensive periods of time. All the power granted would take shape through a single wish spell cast by the city through a special ritual, allowing each and every one of them influence over how the spell would unfold. This allowed far more control over the unimaginably massive flows of magic which they would all carefully weave together making the countless miracles of the Land of Rainbows.
The Princess and the Peeler
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The Little Angel who Bleeds.
The Birth of an Angel
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Long ago in the Land of Rainbows a young girl was born. A beautiful young girl even by the high standards of the Land of Rainbows with pale skin overflowing with the rosy flush of life, and golden hair that may have passed as a crown. As is procedure dictates the Little Angel's parents took her to be examined for deformity, and to test her magical aptitude. The child was flawless, and within her veins pulsed arcane energies that could easily earn her a respectable position as a pillar of the community.
The Magic of an Angel
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For years she grew and grew. At age three she learned to walk, and by age five her laugh could cure anydisease of the heart. Soon it came time for her to enroll in the academy and begin learning magic.
In preparation for her entrance into the academy her father took her to a sturdy room and asked her to show him her magic. Reaching deep within herself the Little Angel focused, and as she did fine droplets of blood began forming on her outstretched hand, and as they did her father felt not the strands that a child moves, but the tides of magic controlled by a full fledged sorcerer begin to shift, twirling until the magic took form.
A Terrifying Choice
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Horrified the Little Angel's father began thinking, his face an impenetrable mask hiding his worry. Such magic may be powerful, but it was unclean, and all of his teachings had taught him to exercise such stains before they grow. It was then that the child did, as powerful a force as any is the world of magic. She smiled, and with those rosy red little lips she asked "Did I do good daddy? Did I? Did I?"
A Choice to End it All
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Instantly the father made a decision that would end his life. With his Little Angel smiling up at him with those big hopeful eyes he allowed the hand that could have called the whole of the village down on them to instead fall and rustle his angle's silky smooth hair.
The cogs in his head turning he replied "Yes, yes my angel, you did wonderful. But how about we try something else?"
A normal childhood.
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For the next ten years the Little Angel grew up, living a life that by all rights should have been denied to her, and for the whole of her time in the academy she used her father's magic to pass on as normal. Using simple magical devices in place of her true talent.
A Lonesome Life
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An Angel's Thoughts on Life
Living Alone
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The Little angel lived a solitary life in the academy, unable to practice her own magic, and unable to allow anyone close enough to see it wasn't hers the little Angel turned towards books. no, not the books of magic that everyone else read. No, the Little Angel would have been of the strongest in the Land of Rainbows even without such books, and yet unable to use her own magic they would not aid her. Instead she took books by the tens of Philosophies, Regions, and Psychology, and in her room read them all, allowing the endless pool of thought within her head to swirl and build.
The Dangers of Thoughts
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As the thoughts piled and built atop each other they gave birth to ideas, and understanding of the world. Slowly but surely she became resolved that the Land of Rainbows was wrong. That killing off those who are different, while efficient, suppresses innumerable talents that may have blossomed into beautiful flowers in their own right. And furthermore that many of them were beautiful in a way unrelated to the ideals of her homeland.
Plans and Plots
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Once again the Little Angel rolled over in her bed. The complexities of running a multi-planer superpower had become clear to her, and the endless morals and ethics that tie it all together were no longer pounding in her mind, replaced by solutions. Never would the people of her homeland decide to obey he beliefs unless she proved her magic flawless, and as she was bringing attention to her magic would only bring death. Seeding the idea would never hold as any she talked to could call the whole nation down on her head, and the nation being a Perfect Democracy it would be impossible to strong-arm it into anything. Eventually she found one plan that may work. A way to save it all.
A Model Citizen
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After graduating the academy The Little Angel became as close to a delinquent as society would permit without termination. Soon she had a whole gang of sorts of followers ready to help her enact he ideas, and soon The Land of Rainbows fell. While they had always been prepared for any number of attacks from without, preparing for every contingencies they had failed to consider one possibility. Sabotage from within their perfect community. In their arrogance they had again begun working a miracle to outdo the acts of a god. As they did Fifty among their order twisted the weave allowing the gods themselves to interfere, and that night the skies around the world dances with lights as the most powerful nation of magi to ever exist fought with the gods over a power stronger then them both. The gods clearly had an upper hand from the start, and when the skies finally grew dark the gods and rebels had destroyed the city leaving naught but runes of all the achievements of the Land of Rainbows.
Together the ten mortal survives of the duel stood exhausted, and victorious, and while they may not have known it at the time they had shifted the scales of power that day in a way none had imagined possible.
The Ascension of Angels
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Over the following years the Little angel striving to save all those cursed and ridiculed throughout the world, building her own inter-planer metropolis. Slowly at first, but then all at once a nation formed in the mountain passes beside the ruins of the Land of Rainbows.
An Uncouth Land
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Nation of Undesired Magic
"Give us your poor rejected failures, your ostracized monsters and your most deformed children. Give us the scum off your streets and the broken cobblestones too. Then wait... Wait and see what becomes of the monsters in the shadow once they step into the light."
The primary city was carved out of the earth by the powers of Crimson Angela, though as people began to arrive in larger and larger droves they began setting up od little patches of dwellings woven into the pass, and most citizens only enter the city first in order to enter their new life before being sent off to a mountain home.
A Home
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Home is not always the nicest place, but instead it is a place where one lives and is safe from both detection and mobs.
Underbelly of the City
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Not all of the city is clean and perfect, in fact the vast majority of the city is filth ridden and filled with creatures that nobody knows much what they are, that have chosen to stay and live in the city. The nicer areas are for those first arriving to rest and recover from their journey before they are sent to their new homes.
National bird
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wiki excerpt:
In natural settings, the Black Vulture eats mainly carrion. In areas populated by humans, it may scavenge at garbage dumps, but also takes eggs and decomposing plant material and can kill or injure newborn or incapacitated mammals. Like other vultures, it plays an important role in the ecosystem by disposing of carrion which would otherwise be a breeding ground for disease. The Black Vulture locates food either by sight or by following New World Vultures of the genus Cathartes to carcasses. These vulturesthe Turkey Vulture, the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, and the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture forage by smell, an ability which is uncommon in the avian world. They fly low to the ground to pick up the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay in dead animals. Their heightened ability to detect odors allows them to search for carrion below the forest canopy. King Vultures and Black Vultures, which lack the ability to smell carrion, follow them to carcasses. It is aggressive when feeding, and may chase the slightly larger Turkey Vulture from carcasses.
The Black Vulture also occasionally feeds on livestock or deer. It is the only species of New World vulture which preys on cattle. It occasionally harasses cows which are giving birth, but primarily preys on newborn calves. In its first few weeks, a calf will allow vultures to approach it. The vultures swarm the calf in a group, then peck at the calf's eyes, or at the nose or the tongue. The calf then goes into shock and is killed by the vultures
more on the city
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Economy
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The Nation of Undesired Magic has little trade with the outside world. While many rare herbs are collected, the Nation of Undesired Magic monopolizes on fear, for it is a nation born of fear. Fear turns to anger, and anger to hate, and hate is what drove most of the citizens of the Nation of Undesired Magic from their homes. As such that anger ha returned to fear as all the monsters of the world pooled into one singular mountain range.
At first some were revealed, the horrors finally off in someone else's closet, and under their bed, but soon something unimaginable happened. Rather than tearing each other apart the monsters banded together forming a horrid new political influence in the world. No longer would a town worry of a troll wandering through their village and stealing their children, but instead their nightmares would be plagued with countless horrors pouring out through every crack and cranny overrunning them as a whole, and consuming everything. Before long the Nation of Undesired Magic began receiving "donations" from various nations across the world to keep the monsters appeased with their mountain range.
Unsupprisingly the Nation of Undesired Magic is known as having one of the largest functioning militias as all of it's citizens defense their homes and lands with nothing else to loose. Furthermore a rumor has begun circulating that the Nation of Undesired Magic has constructed an impenetrable fortress as if hundreds of enclaves over a pass leading to the unknown horrors of another world wasn't enough.
The Law
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Within the Nation of Undesired Magic the laws are different from the rest of the world. There are many acts which warrant death, and anyone in a particularly bloodthirsty mood is authorized to enforce them. As such there are not many "incidents", and when there are they are "contained"
Population
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While the populace of the Land or Undesired Magic is perhaps the most racially varied across the world with cultures from all of it's corners, there are not many humans or dwarves, and no elves or dragons. The purer races in general steer clear of the lands, for entering without belonging warrants a death that all the inhabitants of the land would willingly bring you.
Recruitment
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There are three primary methods thorough which beings are accepted into the Nation of Undesired Magic. The first is that They travel to it seeking shelter, and are intercepted in the forest at the base of the pass at which they are processed and sent to the city to be housed. The second method is for a diplomat to Find them and bring them to the forest. The third method is for a separate government to enact a "Relocation program" by which they send all monstrous populace to the forest.
Government
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While there are few laws in this land there are people in charge of representing the populace to the outside world (diplomats), someone in charge of leading and orchestrating the nation (a dictator of sorts), those in charge of keeping the entry process running smoothly (maintenance workers), and finally the military (yup, militia).
While The Nation of Undesired Magic is not in many regards a proper nation it does sport the most powerful militia in the world, as well as manage to shroud it's self in a thick fog of secrecy to match the fog of the mountain passes in which the monsters of the world now reside.
The horrors beyond the wall
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It has been known for as long as time it's self that a vast and dark land filled with something existed beyond Borkeman's Pass (now known as the Mountains of Monsters or Monster Mountain), but nobody really remembers much. For eons the Land of Rainbows has destroyed anything and everything to slip through to this side of the pass, but who is to say what may emerge now without that protection. The Land of Undesired magic certainly doe little to impede such horrors.
A Village by the Stream
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Runoff from the mountains eventually group together into a healthy river. On this river a singular town lies near the border of the Land of Undesired Magic. This one area within the whole of the nation in which outsiders are permitted, acts as the center of the global black market. While it is not a black market in the traditional sense the lack of trade laws in the Land of Undesired Magic make it ideal for the sale of otherwise illegal merchandise. Furthermore while the transporter's guild is forbidden from operating within the nation a short hour downstream of the city they are freely permitted to act.
Please cite everything when requesting things (and request everything)
when you say everything you mean every spell, item, feat, character name, eye color, and class?
Quote:
Originally Posted by miinstrel
What level of optimization do you, and the other players, prefer to play with?
Dragon magazine allowed on case by case basis?
Do you want us to detail city defenses?
Do we have a "budget" for our nations like Drack's game? Or just be reasonable.
Monstrous cohorts allowed like a dragon? How would I calculate that... My cohort will be lvl 17 so... CR 17? Other?
Not sure if I'm doing it wrong but my math doesn't match yours for the LA buyoff. I don't usually play with it so wanna get this straight:
La+2 means you have to have 6 class levels to buy one off. You take your ECL of 8, subtract one and multiply by 1000. That's 7k xp.
Now you need 3 more levels to buy the other one off. So now you have 9 class levels. You take your ECL of 10, subtract 1, and multiply by 1000. That's 9k xp.
Combine those two for a total of 16k xp leaving you with 4k xp into level 26.
Did I do that correctly?
I'm cool with most op, though I'll probably be around what I consider mid-low op just because I'm using a constraining homebrew class
Defenses: in my game you make them on the off chance someone attacks you or uses a spy network to get a measure of your defenses. (especially the former, but more likely the latter)
LA buyoff: looks right to me.
Edit: also Bel, what are your views on the magic lands/quests/ect in end of each of the complete series and the DMGII magic events? Also what of elder evils (grants 1+1/5levels free feats from a list for worshiping them, and pacts with demons for your soul in exchange for benefit (FC 2 I believe). I ask these together since they have similar premises, though I'd check them out as three groups.
Bel, taken Dweomerkeeper to epic levels (advances 2 abilities, mantle does nothing since I'm a sorcerer, more supernatural spells per day), what bonus feat progression/selection do you feel is appropriate?
I assume the slowest but whats the list? Getting epic leadership this way would be awesome since then I could pickup mythic sovereign or something like that.
Dweomerkeeper is in the build purely so I can supernatural permanency on teleportation circle. I want to set up all the fairy gates
Post from application thread will no longer be updated.
Barrachath Maelthrabbil, Shadow of Xen'Garath
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Barrachath Maelthrabbil, Archmage of Xen'Garath
As you walk along the streets of XelCedris, a sense of power catches your eye. In truth the humanoid passing you stands 5 7 tall, but the dancing shadows that seem to follow him and the billowing cloak make him look simultaneously larger and smaller. His gait is swift but soft; however, your talented eye notices that it is a learned grace covering a much harsher natural movement. His cowl sits forward on his head allowing only a shadowy view of the most striking feature: a mask covering his face. It is intricately painted in arcane designs that seem to shift and float across its surface. Naught but a pair of cunning, green eyes shows through. It seems the central focus of his outfit as all of the lines in his clothing extend toward it. His dress is practical and suffused with a dark palette. The people subtly part to allow him through and as you step aside you notice that not a single piece of flesh is showing, the only clue of life being his eyes.
Against your better judgment you turn and follow himback up the street. An almost imperceptible tilt of his head and a change in his speed suggest that he has become aware of your presence (although how is uncertain as he never turned around). A small crowd passes between you and you lose sight of him for only an instant, but as it disperses there is no sign of the hooded figure. You look around for a moment and catch the same green eyes looking at you from beneath a commoners garb. Whether the change was by extraordinary speed or magic youre not sure, but you decide it would be better to abandon the pursuit.
A few hours later you return to the room you are renting at an inn. All is quiet as you enter and remove your public garments. You light the lamp to find the masked figure sitting calmly on your bed.
So, Thanton What brings a native of the Empire to my citys doorstep? You mustnt be on vacation as your wife and two children are at home eating supper as we speak, and you of course would have brought them with you being the family man you are. I know youre not here as a diplomat because your nation couldnt possibly be stupid enough to send the bastard son of the king here for negotiations. The mask stops speaking briefly then starts again in a happily apologetic tone.Oh right, my apologies. You didnt know that did you? Well congratulations! Youre practically royalty! Now lets discuss why you were following me, hmm?
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Little is truly known about Barrachath Maelthrabbil, the Shadow of Xen'Garath, but hundreds of rumors abound. Some say he is mad, scheming in his tower against imagined threats. Others claim he has ruled for thousands of years under different names steadily advancing his agenda. One popular tale told to keep children well-behaved is that he snatches people off the streets of XelCedris after dark for grisly experiments, warping them into the silent stone guardians tirelessly patrolling the city. There is, however, one thing upon which all agree: his power is matched by few. When the eldest of dragons weigh your advice with that of their kin, you've done something right.
While his past is shrouded in mystery (oddly there seem to be NO records of him before he founded Xel'Cedris), his demeanor is very friendly if not slightly condescending. Behind his comfortable public presence you can see the calculating intelligence working behind his dark eyes.
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Journey to "Perfection" ~ An Autobiography (NOTE: This is for player knowledge only as this story has been wiped from the history books up until the chess game)
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Foreword
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I began writing this chronicle shortly after the foundation of XelCedris. My life up to that point had been very somber and that outlook is echoed in my language and descriptions. I would like to assure you that I am not the dark and hostile being described in the beginning passages. Yes, I was grew up in fear and hatred, not believing that the more pleasant things in life would last or were even real. In my many years since this dark period of my life Ive learned that while one must be guarded, that is no reason to spend ones years in loathing. Life is a blessing. No matter the hardships youve endured, praise the gods for the wonderful gift youve received and do something with it! Unimaginably amazing things are possible with dedication, talent, and the proper application of information. ~Barrachath
A Warning
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Before you begin reading my tale I would like to issue a warning: You will not be able to share the contents of these pages with anyone. And I don't mean that you will not want to, I mean that you will be physically incapable of doing so. A life of secrets can be difficult and, at times, maddening. I suggest you examine your mental fortitude before proceeding.
For those who believe themselves strong enough to keep a secret until their dying day, I was born an elf. Im told my mother was beautiful beyond description, but I have difficulty grasping the true meaning of that word anymore. My original form and name were torn from me. I am now known as Barrachath Maelthrabbil, Shadow of XenGarath, Chosen of Vecna and this is my story.
Chapter 1: Paradise Lost
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My early years were spent in a beautiful valley run by a sect of elven magi. The grass was soft beneath your feet, the sun shone bright, and the colors were varied and vibrant. They cared for me and I was free to live and play with the other children in their paradise. Id not known the ugliness of the world at the time and thought life would always be as blissful as my summer afternoons swimming in the creek that ran alongside my simple home. There were no adults aside from the magi, but we didnt think anything of it. As they came of age, one by one my friends were taken to the central building dubbed The Refinery by the magi. We were told that they were being taken on a journey outside the valley as tradition dictated when we became men and women. None of us questioned it as it was what we had always known. I didnt learn the meaning of that word until years later.
When my turn came, I followed eagerly, excited to finally learn what lay beyond the edge of our little utopia. The inside of The Refinery was glorious. High ceilings, grand decorations, mirrors, and statues of perfect proportions adorned every hall. The mage lead me through the building explaining what some of the art represented as we ventured down a large spiral staircase into a laboratory. I was a little confused, but they assured me that there were just a few tests and precautions they had to take before letting me leave the valley. I was placed on a stone slab, and leather cuffs were affixed to my wrists, feet, and tail. Around the edge of this room were more statues, but these were ugly, twisted life-size renderings. The abandoned children of the beauty upstairs.
When all was prepared, men entered from seemingly nowhere. I asked how they did it, but none paid me any mind, focusing their attention on marking sigils and runes on papers and the floor around my altar. When they finally turned their attention to me I could see the truth in their eyes and a feeling of fear unlike any Id felt washed over me as I struggled to free myself. Their arms weaved patterns in the air around me as cuts were made in my flesh and my dripping blood mixed with alien substances before being fed to me again. The agony of the process was indescribable and second only to the Anchorites lessons which I shall get to shortly.
The torture went on for weeks, exactly how long I cannot say for I was frequently unconscious. During the process I heard them mention something about making a more ideal race with the energy of the arcane flowing through us all. A master race of mages, bred for perfection. They taught me to cast spells, and I learned quickly. Despite my penchant for magedom, the torments continued with the monsters slowly manipulating my very being until my original body was barely recognizable. My face had been misshapen and the skin hung in some places and bloated in other. One of my arms excreted a vile smelling liquid like soured brimstone when I became angry which was often. I began to loathe what I grew to see as my vicious captors rather than my benevolent parents. I overheard them discussing me as a failure and yet another waste of time and feared they would soon dispose of me, their botched experiment, to start their search for perfection anew with another of the hapless teenagers in the village.
One day during a break in my forced studies I was left alone for a few moments which were long enough to enact my long-brewing plan of escape. Looking back on it now, Olidammara must have been watching over me for it was naught but luck that my feeble attempt succeeded. Despite their power, the magi hadnt planned on the darkness I conjured in the study room. A quick invisibility spell later and I was out the front door and running for the edge of the valley. I saw one of my younger friends on his front steps as I ran and slowed to warn him and persuade him to come with me, but I never got the chance to speak. As I hobbled near, a pleading look on my drooping face, his eyes grew wide with terror and he scrambled back against the door to his house screaming obscenities at me. "Get away, monster! You ugly beast!You reeking, puss-stained abomination! He didnt even recognize me. A fetid tear ran through the lopsided folds of my skin as I turned from my friend and left the valley for good using what little arcane resources I had to evade pursuit. Whatever they had done to me made me stronger and I was able to outlast the brief attempt they made to recapture me.
Chapter 2: The Search for Truth
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Barrachath dons a mask to hide his disfigurement
The next few years were spent moving from city to city trying to find a way to reverse the curse that had befallen my body, but the same disgusted looks seemed to follow me wherever I went. No one wanted to help the unsightly wretch at their door. After trying to do the research myself, I realized that while I could manipulate the energies of the universe, the how of what i was doing eluded me. I learned to hide my true self and to listen around corners to learn what I needed. When necessary I would blackmail them for the information I sought, but none seemed able to help with my condition no matter what secrets I dug from their pasts. I grew tired of the clean and pompous attitudes that accompanied the surfacers and withdrew to a cave I discovered along my travels. The native wildlife was harsh, but I learned to fend for myself in my solitary life. My days were spent foraging for food, researching my condition, fending off predators, and exploring the vast network of tunnels that led into the bowels of the Underdark. The Drow that called the lower caves home did not instantly reject me as the others of the world had, and for that they earned my respect and admiration. They were a harsh race, but the uglier creatures of the world were not turned away in their domain. Theirs was a meritocracy. The strongest and most cunning were given opportunities, and those were two attributes I had in excess.
Chapter 3: An Unlikely Ally
Spoiler
Using their city as a home base, I continued my exploration of the Underdark still seeking a cure and a home of my own. I quickly learned their culture and worked my way up to the Matron Mother of the city. She was impressed by the ease with which i slipped past her guards and decided to help me fix myself if I did something for her. The city had recently found themselves at war with a pair of powerful aboleth and needed to know what they were planning. If I could infiltrate their cult and discern their motives, Malaste would help me restore my form.
The job was tricky as aboleth are able to read thoughts, but with a lot focus i was able to persuade even those monstrosities that I was loyal to them. Over the next two months I learned what I could and brought the information back to Malaste. In return she presented me with nothing more than a riddle. Outraged, I swore at her before leaving the city to find some other solution.
As I walked through the midnight tunnels, my mind kept returning to the riddle. A day passed as the gears of my mind turned. Days became weeks, but finally I found the secret to the puzzle; however, even this newfound knowledge did not help me reach my goal. This riddle begot another and another, each teaching me a new secret of the world until the seventh riddle presented itself. I spent years on that last enigma, but finally solved it. The moment the answer reached my mind I found myself falling, looking up through a small trap door, which had not existed moments before, at the ceiling of the tunnel Id been standing in.
Chapter 4: A Transformation
Spoiler
Reacting quickly, a spell slowed my sudden descent, and I floated to the floor of a small room housing nothing but a furnace in one wall, a table covered in various grisly instruments, and a shrouded being that stood nearly 10 feet tall bearing a whip in one hand and a brand in the other. Well done, Warden of the Seven Riddles. The Maimed One welcomes you with open arms to join his family, it said to me in a rumbling baritone. It was at this point that I finally felt a measure of self-worth that had been lacking my whole life. Acknowledgment. Praise for my mental prowess. I stepped forward and calmly stated, I am ready. The riddles all made perfect sense now. It was an excruciating month I spent with the Anchorite as he ripped all of the abhorrent features from my flesh. Even though on the outside I had been cleansed, I could still feel the magic from those wizards coursing through my veins. "It is enough," I thought to myself. "As long as I am able to walk among them without hiding." When the Anchorite was done all that remained were my eyes, a hint of a nose, and a slit where my lips had been. Even my hair was gone and, of all things, I still miss it the most. It wasnt the idyllic form Id hoped for, but certainly not as ghastly as before. It would illicit curiosity instead of revulsion. I could work with that. Go now, child, and serve the Undying King. I bowed before him, and as I lifted my head, I found myself in the tunnel Id been in a month ago, all signs of the Oubliette of Secrets erased from the surface of the world. I was his left hand now, and I had a purpose for the first time.
Barrachath emerges from the Oubliette
When I returned to the Drow city I found it in ruins. A great battle had taken place against the aboleth and its minions. The Drow were victorious thanks to the information I'd provided;however, their city was all but destroyed. For the kindness they showed me (a rare word to use in relation to Drow), I promised to help Malaste rebuild their fallen city in an even more magnificent cavern. Of course I had my own reasons for choosing that location, but it would serve their purposes just fine. I drew them a quick map to the cavern Id spent time in and teleported myself to the peak of the mountain that sat above it.
Chapter 5: The Challenge
Spoiler
Knowing that the dragon that called those mountains home would not take kindly to what it would likely see as an invasion, I drew its attention by amplifying my voice to echo across the many peaks and valleys of the range, calling it to me. A bestial roar echoed back; an acknowledgement of the intruder in its domain. The beating of its enormous iron-colored wings could be heard before the dragon came into view around the nearest peak. The dragon landed before me, a sneer on his face. "How dare you demand Vuuluvanithlar's presence in his own realm. Speak quickly, mortal. I do not count flesh in my typical diet, but I'm about to make an exception." Overcoming my desire to flee in terror, I stood tall and offered my proposal. My arm waved below us to the chess board carved into the mountain.
"A game," I said. "If I win, you will give me the right to build a city in the caves beneath this mountain. We shall also pay a small tribute to you in the way of ore and gems mined from beneath the surface in exchange for the benefit of your ageless wisdom and aid when necessary."
"And if I win?" Vuulu asked.
"You shall gain the services of a powerful arcanist until my dying day. I may be mortal, but do not underestimate my abilities, old one."
Vuuluvanithlar, Iron Dragon Wyrm
Vuulu seemed, if nothing else, amused at my boldness. "Very well," he said, "let us begin." The game went on for three weeks before I was finally able to best him. For those with a penchant for the art of chess, you probably play 5-10 moves ahead. We were playing 200 moves in the future, countering and re-countering in an invisible war that didnt yet exist. When his king finally fell, Vuulu looked at me with a measure of respect and honored his bargain. Two months later when the Drow arrived, I had already begun constructing dwellings for them. Every wall, every boulevard served as a reminder to me of my humble introduction to the world. It took many years, but the civilization eventually grew to its present grandeur and I've since learned to live in communion with others once again. I dare say I'm even good at it. Determined to not allow a repeat of my unfortunate beginnings, I made it very clear that all are welcome in Xel'Cedris. Those who disagreed must answer to me. The Drow demanded their slaves and I acquiesced with the stipulation that any under the citys protection were off limits.
Chapter 6: Perfection?
Spoiler
Since that time many have migrated to our grotto and the day-to-day politics are managed by the people, leaving me free to pursue... other matters... on behalf of the Lord of the Rotted Tower. The world would not offer me a home and so I built my own, and yet it feels forced as though this is not quite where I belong. That is my story thus far. There will be no songs about my past, nor will the downtrodden look to my tale for inspiration until long after I have become dust. This journal is the sole account of my life to date. What other adventures lay in store... well now that's a secret, isn't it?
Xen'Garath
LOCATION
Spoiler
A path from the Arakian desert to the mountains of Xel'Garath
As you move northwest from Nehekhara, the desert slowly gives way to the mountainous region of Xen'Garath. The land slopes gently at first to small hills before rising sharply into the curving peaks unique to this range. The journey is dangerous if you are unfamiliar with the terrain as it is easy to get lost on the many trails. Abandoned wagons litter these routes accompanied by the bones of travelers picked clean of meat by the wildlife and possessions by scavengers. Even if you know your way, the possibility of falling from the narrow mountain trails to the pools and wooded valleys below is ever present.
This unforgiving part of the world does have one saving grace: A winding river that separates the more temperate mountains from the icy region to the north. Few venture far beyond the river border as the unearthly cold claims all but the most prepared individuals. From some points on the river's bank you can see the peak of Xel'Cedris, the capital city, to the south allowing those who traveled too far to find their way back.
The river flows west to Kinjir Lake, so named for the Nixie who's family calls it home. The lake sits on the western edge of the mountain range and makes a nice rest point for travelers moving between Xel'Cedris and the sea. Travelers will occasionally find their possessions moved about, but rare is the malicious trick that hassles a convoy. There is an underground river fed by the lake that runs near Xel'Cedris and continues south beneath the Arakian desert. From Kinjir Lake it is a short journey through a thin, evergreen forest to Osgaroth, a small port town and one of the primary shipping locations Xel'Garath uses to reach the western continent. Alternatively, you can go around the forest by adding 3 days to your journey and marching through the plains to the south.
The mountain above Xel'Cedris
Nestled deep in the mountain range lies the capital city of Xel'Cedris, a rather underwhelming sight from the surface. The mountain that serves as the city's roof is dotted with buildings, passages leading into the mountain, farmland, and towers that serve primarily as guard posts. There is a ruined keep near the top of the mountain that belonged to some long dead king. It had been looted long before the foundation of Xel'Cedris and now serves as a barracks for the guards patrolling the mountain range.
A favorite destination for those visiting the city is the dragon-sized chess board carved into one of the mountain's many plateaus. The onyx and alabaster tiles support golems built to fill the roles of the various playing pieces. 240 years ago Xel'Cedris was founded by Barrachath when he defeated Vuuluvanithlar, the iron dragon wyrm that claims this rocky corner of the world, in a game for the right to build a city in his domain. After three moves on each side the dragon had an opportunity to take one of the mages pawns but chose to move his pieces elsewhere. Barrachath smiled at the dragon and offered Vuulu the opportunity to withdraw his last move. Insulted by the offer, the wyrm scoffed at him growling in a voice reminiscent of scraping metal, "I would eat you now but for the terms of our agreement." The challenger nodded apologetically and the game went on. For three weeks. In the end, Vuulu was defeated by the very pawn he chose to ignore as it became a queen and slowly trapped his king in the corner. With that, license to build Xel'Cedris was given and an alliance was struck between the dragon and the city.
Xel'Cedris, central cavern (imagine the large spire stretching to the ceiling)
Beneath the mountain lies a cavern of inestimable size. A central spire extends down from the windowed room hugging the ceiling from which the Council of Blyn rules. Great spiral stairs encircle the central pillar and lead down to the floor, smoothing out as they meet with its stalagmite-like base. Along the walls are more staircases leading up from the floor of the cavern to passages through the mountain to the outside world. On the floor of the cavern sit the stone buildings housing most of the Xel'Cedrites. Massive runes carved into the ceiling pulse with arcane energy as they dim every evening, giving the otherwise lightless chamber a semblance of time for those unaccustomed to the darkness. Those who have studied Draconic will notice that the runes form a sentence in an abstract spiral: May all who seek the secrets of the world find shelter here.
Several side chambers exist separating the city into districts. One of these chambers is devoted to each of the seven major houses of Xel'Cedris. The nobles of each house live in these chambers while the general populace lives in the central cavern. A chamber is also devoted to each of the city's major exports: one for gems, one for ore, one for slaves, and one acts as a headquarters for their vast spy network. This last one is, obviously, kept under tremendously close watch.
A system of tunnels lead out in all directions connecting the city to several locations around the world, some known to all, some only to the citys residents, and some only to its most elite caste.
POPULATION
Spoiler
While all races are welcome, even monstrous ones, the dominant majority of the city is made up of Drow and other creatures more accustomed to the dark. Dwarves tend to avoid Xel'Cedris because of their long-standing hatred of most of its citizens, but a few clans have taken up residence, contributing to the artful masonry of the city. It is suggested that all citizens register with the city. While it is not required, unregistered individuals are liable to be picked up by slavers.
Above-ground are many smaller villages that benefit from the trade and protection provided by this metropolis. Humans and goliaths are the most common of the surface races. There are giant tribes within Xen'Garath's borders as well, and non-aggression pacts have been formed with them (some more forcibly than others).
The majority of people subsist on fungus farmed underground, a few hardy grains that are able to grow in the arid mountain soil, and game found in both areas. In general, people eat as the Drow do in the Underdark. The lack of natural sunlight makes most more traditional crops impossible. These sources are supplemented with magical food, when necessary, by the city's clergy. Several fountains have been built throughout the city creating an endless supply of water from the Elemental Planes. The wells have been cleverly designed to slow the stream of water as each basin fills to prevent flooding. An irrigation system has been built using similar means for the extensive fungal fields. The occasional myconid is found in those areas, but for the most part they are safe.
The Seven Ruling Houses
While Barrachath is the undisputed leader of the city, he leaves most of the day to day management to the Council of Blyn which is comprised of the leaders of the seven houses:
House Arabttar
Spoiler
The first of the seven is the Drow House Arabttar. Led by Matron Malaste, this is the oldest, most powerful, and most influential of the houses. Malaste is the unofficial ruler of the Drow population in the city and works closely with Barrachath as a leader in the Solen Rah, Xel'Cedris' vast spy network. House Arabttar is famed for their bittersweet victory over an aboleth army in the Underdark. Sadly, their home was destroyed during the war forcing a relocation to Xel'Cedris.
House Kilett
Spoiler
The second of the seven is the Drow House Kilett. The house name means People of Magic, and members of this house have contributed their talents by building the golem police force and adding other magical improvements to the city. Lady Aunrae and her people worship Llolth exclusively and owe allegiance to House Arabttar.
House Auvryth
Spoiler
House Auvryth is the third and final of the Drow houses. Lady Jhaelarra leads this lesser house and has ambitions to become a Drow queen someday, although her current position prevents her from doing so. She has her sights set on Matron Mother of Xel'Cedris, but must first find a way to depose Matron Malaste
House Emberforge
Spoiler
House Emberforge represents the Dwarven community in Xel'Cedris. Grimbol Emberforge brought his family here for the rich mineral veins present in the mountain range. The dwarves had wanted to build a home here for some time, but the iron dragons lust for ore caused too much conflict. With the foundation of the city, harvesting Xen'Garaths resources became a real possibility. Some Dwarves look down on the Emberforge because of their proximity to the Drow, but the two races stay out of each others way for the most part. Not surprisingly, the Emberforge are in charge of mining precious gems and metals for export.
House Lunak-Olathi
Spoiler
This Goliath house, the fourth of the seven houses, is managed by Oglath. House Lunak represents all goliaths living in the range. The goliaths have sworn fealty to Xel'Cedris but are extremely unhappy with the city allowing the giants in the mountains to go on living. Xel'Cedris finds the giants very useful for labor and defense in a potential attack, but the goliaths and giants constantly war with one another diminishing the countrys resources on both fronts. Efforts have been made to bring peace, but ancient rivalries are not so easily forgotten.
House Dunesun
Spoiler
House Dunesun (pronounced DEW-neh-sun) represents the human population of Xen'Garath. Originally nomads of the Arakian desert, they settled in the hills at the base of the Xen'Garath mountains. Slowly they have moved closer and closer to Xel'Cedris and are now considered members of the city. Jarold Dunesun speaks on behalf of his people and all human villages scattered throughout the valleys and hills.
House Xallihoon
Spoiler
The final and most controversial of the houses is House Xallihoon, named for its illithid leader. Xallihoon manages the slave trade in Xel'Cedris. Quiet rumors that Xallihoon is really controlling the other houses make their way through local pubs, but in truth, he earned his place on the council by way of exceptional control and efficiency while moving slaves. Many are uncomfortable with an illithid presence in the city; however, Xallihoon and his brethren are among the most peaceful members of the society (much to the chagrin of those who wish hed start a ruckus and give them a reason to run him out of town). Because of this grudging acceptance, Xallihoon is almost never seen without his very loyal bodyguards.
ECONOMY
Spoiler
Mountain ranges are known for their lack of natural resources. As a result, the city relies heavily on trade. Xen'Garath exports gems and ore mined from the mountain range. From farther below the surface, many rare items and slaves from the Underdark are distributed to the rest of the surface civilizations. The slave trade is a big part of the economy with a majority of the exotic Underdark exports going to Nehekhara and a smaller amount going to Nostrus across the ocean. There is no black market as the city encourages rare and exotic trade (and as a result hard-to-find items are frequently available in the cavern), but violence in the city is strictly punished. Individuals caught enslaving Xel'Cedris citizens are met with a painful death.
While all of these products provide income for the city, their most valued asset is the constant flow of information. Secrets are their specialty as Xel'Cedris boasts the best diviners on the continent. As the old saying goes, "Don't take a secret to your grave. That's the first place they [Xel'Cedrites] look."
LAW AND ORDER
Spoiler
The laws of the city are strictly enforced with violence receiving the harshest of penalties. Simple bar fights are typically broken up with a fine levied against any participants, but more serious forms of violence are dealt with swiftly, frequently with the death of the offender. Magic plays a key role in interrogations and, as the city has the best diviners in the world, usually discovers the truth quickly. There is no public trial except in special circumstances.
The city streets are patrolled night and day by a veritable army of golems, animated suits of armor, and the like. These guardians are instructed to uphold the law and to bring to court any violators. They are nonlethal unless attacked with intent to do harm in which case the perpetrator is killed on the spot. Each golem is instructed to activate an alarm rune on its chest before making any arrest or dealing lethal damage to any living creature. While the golems are a formidable force within the citys borders, reprogramming and then controlling them for a war would take an exhaustive amount of resources. In addition to the golems, Xel'Cedris hosts a reserve army composed of its living residents that can be mobilized for war.
Despite his personal ambitions and responsibilities entertaining foreign delegates, Barrachath has been known to occasionally stop crimes in the city as well. This typically entails either a very painful public execution or the criminal being whisked away to Barrachaths sanctum. Rumors surrounding his methods of punishment keep murders, hate crimes, and the like at a minimum. As dark a city as it may be, XelCedris is an extraordinarily safe place to live.
Dwarven craftsmanship is evident in the golem's design
Magic-use is encouraged but regulated. All magic-users in the city must register themselves, and failure to do so carries heavy penalties if caught (death in some cases, but only for more serious breaches typically involving violence). As information is practically a currency, many information gathering divinations are restricted to authorized diviners with business licenses (and some are reserved for use only by Whisperers). Foreigners disobeying the laws are not typically shown special leniency except in special cases.
Depending on the crime, convicted criminals may opt to be sold into slavery instead. Not wanting to taint his merchandise, Xallihoon has decreed that any bloodthirsty criminals to be put to death instead.
The Solen Rah
Spoiler
Xen'Garath's spy network, known as the Solen Rah, is unrivaled by any on the planet. Its members are known as Whisperers. The group operates in splinter cells, and each cell reports to only a handful of people. This makes eliminating the network extremely difficult and extremely beneficial for Barrachath and his minions.
While many think the Solen only operate in foreign nations, citizens of Xel'Cedris know that informants look around every corner. Where the golems are the eyes, the Solen Rah are the ears. Few things slip by unnoticed unless you are in a secure location. While a majority of the informants ultimately report to Matron Malaste, Barrachath has his own cells that operate directly beneath him reporting on the activities of his city's leaders and other notable figures of the world.
No one is quite sure whether or not the Solen Rah was created for a specific purpose beyond protecting the city. Rumors hint at a secret agenda, but those could easily have been planted by members of the Solen Rah to enhance their credibility and the slight feeling of fear associated with their name.
POLITICS
Spoiler
As a kingdom, Xel'Cedris remains fairly neutral (Lawful neutral in fact). The more kingdoms that look upon it favorably the more travelers and information will come. Its citizens are less receptive to Dwarves, but the ruling body does not discriminate.
This oligarchic rule has worked out thus far with Barrachath monitoring their activity for signs of unrest and to ensure the citizens are being treated fairly. His network of spies is utilized inside the city's walls as well as outside.
RELIGION
Spoiler
Religion is free in Xel'Cedris; however, with their demographics, a few gods are favored over others. Llolth and Moradin both have temples in the city (albeit on opposite sides). It is known that many worshipers of Vecna exist as well, but there temple is, of course, hidden. Moradin may seem an odd fit to outsiders, but the Dwarves have diligently upheld his praise. Most of the city's good aligned residents follow in their stead.
Last edited by miinstrel : 07-16-2012 at 02:55 PM.
Trust me, while I closed the thread to recruitment I've been handing out personal invite like candy at a parade. (you know how it is, I only threw a cap on the number of players to keep from hitting a hundred before the end of the week )
Uhhh.... you didn't invite me to your nations game?
Besides, I was talking to Bel. Thank you BELGERETH for inviting me to play in your game.
Ah, I've lost track of who I invited. anywho that works too *deletes post*
(that's the problem with naming your game after the one that you stole the idea from )
Reposting Nation and things for my easy reference.
Spoiler
Cer'aton (ser-aton):
Landscape/Weather:
Spoiler
A group of 5 Islands out on the ocean, 4 large Islands surround a single Island in the center. The Islands experience tropical summers but harsh winters, which is the only time when there are almono st boats on the ocean, wether they be military, or cargo. It is a common trading port for boats and ships passing in between continents, as they have food available throghout the year.
Frozen Sea
Spoiler
Despite myths that spread further in-land, the frozen sea is not frozen all year around. The sea is similar to any other ocean, except during winter, when the surface becomes covered in ice. Only certain parts of the frozen ocean are navigatable during this time, which most people in Cer'aton learnt to navigate these Ice Paths, that give way underneath travelers feet if they don't travel the right paths.
ISLANDS:
Spoiler
Cer'tinun (Centre Island):
Spoiler
The island is dominated by the cliff face that surrounds it on almost all sides, except by the port town, which is fairly small, but leads up to the castle dominating the hill. The castle doesn't get much use, except during winter, when the Cer'anan (King) is not out on the water (or ice chunks as the term may be). There are no trees on the island so it is fairly bair with grass plains throughout most of it.
Cer'tal (Eastern Island):
Spoiler
This island is mostly trading ports, and forestry. Most people on the island are merchants or travellers. There are no sand beaches on the island, all are rocks or small cliff faces. This is the second largest island in the group.
Cer'gatan (Southern Island):
Spoiler
The southern island is made up of beaches and tropical plants, it can be a popular tourist attraction if people can overcome the stories of piracy surrounding the islands. Inland is mostly Plains, leading up to a mountain toward the West. Most people live their and use it for housing, the largest community is on the south-east of the island, where docks allow ships. It is surrounded by beaches on all sides except the west, where the mountain is. It is the largest island.
Craig Rock (Western Island):
Spoiler
The only island not named after the original ruler, it consists of mountainous and rocky areas. A mountain on the south-east, mirroring the one on Cer'Gatan. The area is mostly mining and is near uninhabitable for most races and the worker settlements can only sustain someone for a month maximum, so people are constantly being shifted.Devoid nearly entirely of life it is used for it's rich deposits of gemstones and metals, also the strange gem "Fluro" (trying to think of better name), which has slight magical properties, which glows in the darkness. Most people live in mountain builidings or underground if available. This is the second smallest island.
Cer'Tra (Northern Island):
Spoiler
The northern island is entirely forest, with only a few known settlements on the edges of the island, near the beaches. Only rowboats and similar small craft can enter due to the sand reaching fairly far out. This is the prime area for the Druids who often come here to learn. Most people come to the island to speak with the druids and help understand things, in times of hardship, or for healing. Nobody really knows what is in the center of the island, the druids guard it well, due to the respect they are given.
Political State:
Spoiler
The islands are ruled by the Cer'anan (King), who started life as a seafarer and pirate when the need arose. The castle dedicated to him present on the central Island is rarely used, because he is always patrolling the ocean, around the Islands. Each island is lead by a Cer'ta (Lord), who is in charge of their island producing food, money, ect. When a new leader is needed, word spreads quickly throughout the world, this often encourages people to take to piracy, whether because they want to keep the people of the islands safe, or because they want to take it for themselves. As tradition declares that pirates would fight to become king, the people worried about the islands usually succeeding has kept it a relatively safe place for ages.
Magic:
Spoiler
Magic and magic users are rare, and most are trained in the art as sorcerers as the art of studying the arcane is unheard of. Select vessels have sorcerers or druids to manipulate the ocean/winds/provide fire support, in dangerous or emergency situations. Druids are the primary healing on the islands, and are seen to for cures and remedies. The druids work independently from any lords or even the King, though they still remain loyal this is the way things are, due to the respect the inhabitants have for the land and sea.
MORE TO COME IF REQUIRED
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As for a character concept, I was thinking Catfolk Sorcerer/Swashbuckler, but I haven't looked into prestige classes yet. Hoping for approval on Catfolk race (LA+1) (Miniatures Handbook).
He is the leader of the army as well as being the Cer'anan.
Spoiler
Before the last Cer'anan died, Acre Dreen was in charge of the army, he had defended against the more agressive "Fish-Folk" multiple times, as well as challenges towards the king.
When the Cer'anan finally died Acre took initiative and quickly took control of the kingdom, and stopped any others with ease, due to his already good standing with the community.
Now bel I am hoping you will approve of:
Spoiler
Race: Catfolk LA+1 (Miniatures Handbook)
Template: (Maybe add one later)
Class: Sorcerer (PHB + Spell Compendium)
Class 2: Swashbuckler (Complete Warrior)
That is all for now maybe thinking of adding ranger/druid class.\
And for a cohort: Dragon Shaman PHBII
P.S. I have a complete LACK of artistic talent, so I apologise for complete lack of maps or images, I may scetch out something small but that would be about it.
__________________ My internet is back to more-or-less full power, so I should be good, normal posting rate should resume.
P.S. I have a complete LACK of artistic talent, so I apologise for complete lack of maps or images, I may scetch out something small but that would be about it.
You're not alone, I can't raw well at all on a computer, and my computer doesn't have scanning software installed, so I just do graphs
Sigmar grant me the
bourbon to accept the things I cannot change, the bullets to change the
things I can, and a big-titted sidekick who knows the
difference.
The City State Nostrus; Home of the Lost Gods and the makers of Pacts
Ruled by Lord Vestige
Spoiler
PC is Lord Vestige
Binder/Anima mage/ Knight sacred seal type build
The Lord of Nostros, a mysterious figure known only as "Vestige". Not many know him save for those in the inner circle or the clerks and scribes of the lost that dwell within the Temples of the Lost
Once human - a little known fact he was once of the desert dwelling tribes of the Nekharan slave cities toiling away under the lash of the Priest King. Like many of the desert peoples he dreamed of freedom and eventually in his young teen years as he toiled away in the great quarries of the lost he escaped. Killing 3 guards and a priest of the God King he vanished into the desert along with 4 others.
The desert was harsh and the desert was brutal. 2 companions dies quickly. One to the heat and one to the thirst - a thirst so brutal he drank the very sands thinking it was water. The man would would become Lord Vestige continued onwards eventually after 2 long weeks stumbling into a deserted Temple. Plunging into the hidden structure that had been hidden for a hundred hundred years he found a strange Temple dedicated to a lost God long dead and long forgotten. Amon the Void before the altar. Here in this forgotten Temple he discovered the first Pact. Drawing the signs from the walls and accidentally bringing forth the Void before the Altar. Here he learned of the power of the ancient vestiges as he used great breaths of fire and the curling ivory horns to slay the hunters that had been sent after him
That began a long quest, a quest that lasted for almost 2 decades before the man who was once a slave had mastered many of the ancient dead gods. He had travelled across many lands, into the fey realm, to undersea lands and to the high mountains and had collected many of the legends. Sadly he felt the first pangs of mortality and began the quest to avoid it.
Seeking ancient magics and the long forgotten arts of the the dead gods and entering pacts with strange alchemists and artificers he crafted for himself a body of metal, of adamantine and of steel and in a great ritual using the highest secrets of pact magic bound himself as a vestige within a steel frame leaving himself free of his mortal form and sealed in a new and more powerful body.
Free of his frail and aging body he continued his quest once more and as his fame grew began to attract followers and soon began to assemble the great city of Nostros. Built in the ruins of an ancient Nekharan outpost he fortified and initiatied the long process of recording the details of all the vestiges long forgotten and long cursed. His aim one day as the people of the city choose vestiges to worship to once more empower them with the spirits of the divine and then bind these new found Gods to his will. After all... he has lived for 400 years in his metal frame, what is another few decades...
Ruler of the city. A city dedicated to rediscovering all of the lost vestiges with the aim of restoring their power - a power that he would then control through the rituals of pact magic.
Obligatory Picture
Spoiler
The City State
Spoiler
Overview
The gates of the city loom above you. The ancient sand stone walls resonating with the ancient shadows of long dead gods. The pair of guards on the worn drawbridge both adorned in heavy lamellar armour watch you as you approach slowly joining the queue of wagons heading into the walled fastness that stretches into the sky. One bears curled horns, the second, mirrors for eyes stares at you before waving you in....
The winding streets throng with well dressed citizens bustling about their business. Ancient shrines to long forgotten gods on every corner hidden behind busy market stalls and narrow alleyways are clogged with tented shops offering oracles and soothsaying as gangs of children scribe strange circular symbols on the walls that release floods of silvery liquid or shrill screams. The strange scent of insence and alcehmical concotions from the bearded alchemists in their labs adding to the heady smell of thriving humanity and roasted peppers and spiced food.
Ahead of you as you climb through the crowds the streets get busier and on the level beneath the towering spires of the Temples lies the vast gates leading into the arena where already the games have begun as criminals, clerics and Nekharan slaves spill their blood onto the sands"
The fortress city Nostrus sits unobtrosively in the shadow of the Atlas mountains on the silty banks of the Crispiun Sea on the eastern edge of the main continent. A small self contained city state it trades heavily with the dwarven clans within the mountains exchanging lumber and worked goods for the raw metals and gems. It also trades across the pirate infested Crispiun sea with the harsh and unforgiving Nekhara- lair of the God King- the busy docks shipping foods, prisoners and finished goods down the wide river channel and across the ocean as the ships bearing rare oils, spices and other exotic goods return. All cross the docks where the waters of the bay are stained a mass of strange colours from the collection of alchemy guilds that all operate here happily without limits on the nature of their experiments as long as they keep the peace and don't set too many fires.
THe city is peaceful. Existing as a quiet meritocracy under their Lord King's quiet rulership. Each of the city wards votes once every 3 years electing 2 members of their choice to the ruling council of the city where they run the city state with the power of Veto going to Lord Vestige after he founded the city and has ruled it for some 140 years. Aside from that he merely wanders the great city like a ghost trailing the spirits of Gods long dead and inspiring this who would follow him.
The squat sprawling bricks buildings each house small communities as the wide dirts streets meander randomly through the streets spiralling ever higher and higher up through the massive walled complexes of the fortress city. The community or family based building clusters radiating away form the Temple complex at the heart of the city. Here lies the true strength of the city where the fabled "Temples to the Lost Gods" lie. A collection of Temples, shrines and cairns each given over to the lost and forgotten Gods that have since passed beyond the realm of the normal.
The other centre of the city is the Savnok's Cage, the massive arena, where prisoners, slaves from Nekhara, volunteers seeking fame and strange beasts spill their blood onto the sands.
Amidst the Temples high upon the hills Lord Vestige does his research searching out more lost vestiges, the forgotten remnants of the Gods that have died, fled or simply melted away. Here lie the libraries filled with ancient scrolls, the training grounds for the elite Knights of the Sacred Seal and the crazed alchemists that supply many strange chemicals to Lord Vestige.
Law and Order
The rule of Law is strong. Within the Temples of the forgotten gods lies the courtrooms where judges chosen from amongst the people sit in judgement of their peers. The glittering circles of silver dragging forth the truth from the accused. Any found guilty heading to the sands of Savnok's Cage or the slave galleys of Nekhara.
The city watch is small and professional. Each one committed to 10 years service in the watch that also doubles as the army. While few in number they are well trained and well equipped by Lord Vestige though given the peaceful and merchantile nature of the city they are rarely needed. The sheer bullk of the city that is larger vertically than horizontal also helps as not many men are needed to guard the towering ballista and trebuchet studded walls.
As a city devoted to the lost Gods divine magic is strictly controlled in the city. Temples to extablished Gods forbidden under the strictest of law. Witch hunters trained in the use of vestigae pacts enforcing this rule. Seeking out heretical clerics that would bring the Gods of today into the realm of the ancient and forbidden gods. Any cleric found guilty of such a crime is stripped of his symbols, placed in an alchemical induced slumber and given as a "gift" to the slavers of the Nekharese God King.
Other magics such as the more mundane arcane formula of wizards, the dragon blooded power of the sorcerer or the awakening of the psions minds is allowed. THough use of magic within the city is subject to a series of complex rules - enchantment, illusions and evocation being heavily regulated.
Religion
The strange shrines at the heart of the city define life in Nostrus. Strange circles of power and spectral forces whispering and runnig through the city. SMall caverns in the hill side or open spaces to encourage certin vestiges add a strangely ecclectic feel to the cities markets and open souks. Some of the walled communities being tied to one vestige or another as they study their patron's history and try to return the vestige to former glory.
The Temples of the forgotten also run free schooling for the children and peoples of the city where scribes begin their duties teaching reading and writing to the masses so that they can begin to understand the importance of the pact binding diagrams that adorn many of the surfaces in the city.
With the power of vestiges rife in the city but these ancient forces weak and fragile compared to the contemporay Gods the rules of Law forbid the building of Temples or shrines to the modern Gods lest they drive away or inhibit the slowly awakening vestiges. Traveller and adventurers are still welcome as long as they obey the laws, cast no spells and do not preach.
Pact binders of all stripes are most welcome in the city and lauded as true heroes. Conversely the churh organisations that would hunt such people are forbidden to the lands surrounding the city upon pain of death. A covert battle that the pact binding witch hunters and the sacred Knights of the Seal that guard the city have been winning since the city was founded.
Commerce
As a small city state Nostrus relies heavily on trade. Its most well known trade is scribing. The educated populace scribing stories and painting and drawing beautiful masterpieces. The friezes in many nearby palaces painted on comission by artists from Nostrus.
Trade with the nearby dwarven clans generates metals and gems. These are then worked and sold down river alongside foods and lumber where they travel over the sea to Nekhara in exchange for exotic spices, silks and papyrus and paper that the city consumes at a vast rate. There is also a lively trade in slaves with the arena needing a constant supply of fighting slaves even as divine apostates are sent across the Crispiun Sea.
Character Sheet WiP
Spoiler
Name: Lord Vestige - original name lost to history Race: Karsite transferred into a warforged form Class: Binder 26
Stats
Stat
Inherehent
Items
Temp
Modifier
Str
16
22
-
+6
Dex
16
22
-
+6
Con
20
26
-
+8
Int
20
26
-
+8
Wis
14
20
-
+5
Cha
27
33
-
+11
Hit Points: BAB:
Senses
Movement
Initiative:
Saving Throws:
Armour Class
Arm +8 Shield +6 Insight +6 Wis +5 Untyped +1
Defences
Immune to Mind Affecting
Immune to Ability damage/drain, -Ve energy, Level drain
Immune to Poison, Sickness, Disease, Nausea, Fatigue, Exhaustion
Spell Resistance 51
Racial Abilties Karsite: Human traits, Spell Resistance (36), Magic Draining attacks (Will DC 21), Spell Healing, Proficiencies (Light, Medium, Martial), DR 5/magic Warforged: Living Construct, Immunities [Sleep, Poison, Disease, Nausea, Sickness, Fatigue, Exhaustion], Doesn't eat/sleep/breathe, Limited Healing/ Craft Repair.
Class Abilities
Soul Binding (EBL 26; Vestige Binding 6; Epic Vestige Binding 2)
Pact Augmentation x6
Soul Guardian (Immune to Fear, Mind Affecting, Energy Drain
Supernatural Abilities DC 41
Skills
Skill
Ranks
Mod
Misc
Total
Know (Nature)
20
6
Know (History)
29
6
Know (Planes)
25
6
Know (Religion)
20
6
Know (Arcana)
20
6
Bluff
15
11
Intimidate
20
11
Diplomacy
10
11
Craft (Gem Cutting)
14
6
UMD (cc)
10
11
Decipher Script
15
6
Tumble (cc)
5
6
Spellcraft (cc)
5
6
Feats
1
Unarmoured Body
3
Mage Slayer
4B
Ignore Special Requirement
5
Blindfight
7
Leadership
9
Pierce Magical Defenses
11B
Empowered SU ability
11
Pierce Magical concealment
13
Knowledge Devotion
15
Improved Buckler Defence
17
Shield Parry
18B
Expel Vestige
19
Power Attack
21
Bind additional vestige
23
Bind Gaia Soul of the Land
23B
Bind Zuriel THe Bronze God
25
Bind additional Epic Vestige
26B
Bind Amun-her Khepeshef "Desecrated Scion"
Equipment (2021687.5 / 2'500'000)
A Library (Tomes Mental Stats +5, Physical stats +4) (742'500)
Milthril Buckler +5 of Reflecting (101'000)
Adamantine Longsword +5 of Keen, Collision Mage-Bane (128000) Ring of Lost Gods (Solar Wings + Deflection +5) (190'000) Arms: Bracers of Armour +8 (64'000) Waist: Monk's Belt of Magnificent Battle (237'500) Torso: Vest of Magical Nullification (Resistance +5; SR +15) (262'500) Face: Mask of the First Binder (Trueseeing Hathran Mask; Soul Lens +5; Mask of Allure) (186'000) Iron Staff of the Steel Vestige (+3 Cold Iron Staff [Giant Size, Total Repair, Iron Construct, Greater Construct energy Ward] CL15) (87187.5+20000)
Vestiges Currently Bound
Amun-her Khepeshef[Burst of Life (250 Heal, G.Restore; Delay Death 0/26; Firstborn Guardian (Immunities; +4 Sacred AC vs undead, ghost touch); Scion of War (+11 on combat maneuvres)]
Gaia, Soul of the Land [Regen 6; Earth's Voice (polyglot, Speak with animals and plants; Will DC ?? or friendly); Earths Fury (+4 DC vs Aber/Con/Undead/Ooze, +4AC and can crit/sneak them); Elemental Immunity (Fire); Earthsense (Darkvision, Track, Blindsight 120ft, Tremorsense 60ft)
Andromalius [Hideous laughter; Locate Item; See invisibilty; Sense trickery; Sneak Attack (6d6)]
Andira the Holder of Ancients - Cohort
Spoiler
Even as the young Lord Vestige crawled from the depths of the Nekharan desert he needed allies and one of the first he met were Andros. A fieryelven pirate who plundered the seas along the coast.
Even as she was cowed by the horned and fire breathing slave she wondered at the power within the slave. A year later with the horned desert slave as her mate he left the shore to explore the power of the lots Gods and reclaim her ancient elven heritage.
Now she essentially rules the city. Commanding the great council and overseeing the city defences. Occasionally venturing forth on her steed to aid her master.
Elven Binder 12/Knight of the Sacred Seal 5 Str 16 (20) Dex 16 (20) Con 12 Int 10 Wis 10 Cha 16
Hit PointsInitiative Speed BAB +14 Saves 12/5/9 Senses
Racial
Elven Racial traits
Class
Binder Level 17; 3 Vestiges Bound
Soul Guardian (Immune to Fear, Slippery Mind)
Pact Augmentation 3; Suppress SIgn
Vestige Protection, Power and Surge
Aligned Strike
Apotheosis
Thall was once a prosperous and beautiful surface nation, existing on a peninsula roughly the size and composition of Italy. It was a sea-faring nation, trading its reserves of copper and silver, and cunningly designed metal goods, to other nations in exchange for other useful things. As Thall grew in prosperity and learning, it became arrogant in its strength as well. Chief in this folly was Buna (see below), who loudly proclaimed herself "the new queen of the sea."
The rage of a spurned god is a terrible thing. [Poseidon]* had grown to love Thall, and there were many temples dedicated to the god throughout the seafaring nation. As the people grew proud and prosperous, however, and as Buna increasingly claimed credit for what Poseidon perceived as his bounty, sacrifices at temples broke off sharply. The god rose up against Thall in a rage.
Buna was not, however, a complete idiot. She had made pacts with other gods and spirits, a series of pacts for mutual protection in exchange for their help against just such an occasion. When Poseidon struck, a handful of these young gods and outsiders rose up and shielded Thallak. In 'the ten minute war', it is recorded that earthquakes, tornadoes and tidal waves rose and fell, and thousands died. Four of the young gods died, as did countless spiritual servants on both sides of the conflict. Finally, Buna and the remaining gods were able to combine their power for a final blow against Poseidon, and he fell, shocked at his unexpected vulnerability.
Falling to earth, Poseidon turned to a great torrent of water that swept over all of Thallak. Tiny sparks of his divine rage darted throughout the land, pushing it down, down, a thousand feet into the ocean. The same divine curse swept up the Thall, transforming them into sea creatures, that they might always be, in some way, under Poseidon's influence.
The two remaining godlings - Vaisi the Shaper and Yalla the Tidemaster - lacked the power to undo the effects of Poseidon's death-curse. With the godlings' help, Buna did her best to stabilize the land in its undersea state, and set to work making a new life for her people here.
In the intervening centuries, the Thall have adapted well - if sometimes reluctantly - to their surroundings. They have become masters of electricity magic and the spear. They have befriended several undersea races, and learned much about fighting others (read: 99 Ways to Kill a Sahuagin). They have made trade agreements with the nearest states - especially the ones that suddenly found themselves with a lot more coastline than before. While Thallak's numbers have never rebounded to the years Before Descent, the country has adapted, as people are wont to do.
In the last few years, Thallak has been sorely pressed by predations by a powerful nation of sahuagin. They have lost hundreds of citizens to raids, and a strike team of the sharkmen even managed to catch and kill one of the nation's most powerful priests. Now, in their efforts to fight back, the Thallak are eager to reach out to the surface races in order to recruit help.
* Or whoever we decide is the god of the sea in this realm.
Geography
Spoiler
The borders of Thallak are less well-defined than before. The territory has expanded in some areas, and given way in other places. Here are a few notable sites:
The Great Shelf
This is a still-fresh tear in the continental plate, created by Poseidon's death curse, the border of the point where Thallak was forced down. A thriving community has sprung up here - digging for minerals in the exposed rock, passing materials up and down from the surface world. Great Shelf has some of the wealthiest communities in Thall, including many of those who continue to see their inevitable destiny leading back to the surface, back to life on land.
Godshead
This hillock in the ocean is said to be the place where Poseidon's head landed when he fell. Many wealthy and powerful Thall have tried to claim this area, but no structure built on the Godshead has lasted more than a year. Underwater storms, earthquakes, and in one case a swarm of giant sea turtles have destroyed any attempt to directly inhabit the place.
On the other hand, it positively thrums with magical power. It is said that items crafted here have special power and endurance, and that spells sealed here last twice as long. True or not, the place is a tourist attraction and site of much speculation by the Thall, who now more or less use it as a public park and place where special ceremonies (naming ceremonies, weddings, etc) are held.
Glower's Gash
This great trench in the ocean floor connects down to significantly unsavoury places. Aboleth, kraken and a particularly batsit crazy band of kuotoa inhabit different parts of the trench. It is constantly under guard. It is said that the Gash has a number of tunnels that lead out into air-filled underground realms.
Sand Nets of Salamar
Ocean currents in this region carry strange things from parts of the world previously unknown to the Thall. Bits of gold and other minerals, sure, but also magical stones, rusted weapons, and a thousand things that have made for decent salvage. Massive nets of various thickness stretch across thousands of feet in the area where the current is the most rigorous, and teams of salvagers work the nets constantly, plucking out prizes and tending to tears.
Vael Rael
Cataclysmic change in environment brings cataclysmic change in diet. Now, the Thall primarily eat fish, crustaceans and fast-growing underwater plants. The massive and multi-hued Vael Rael reef is home to more than a hundred fish that are farmed or 'herded' by the Thall. The entire reef is a protected zone, and predators - whether animal, bestial or intelligent - are zealously guarded against.
Thallu
The capital of Thallak for more than a millenium, Thallu is a great city formed of stone and coral. It has more edifices surviving from the Before Descent times than all other communities combined, and has all but a few of Buna's air domes as well. Thallu is dominated by a magnificent stone spire that rises hundreds of feet from the ocean floor, stopping only about fifty feet from the ocean surface. It is said that Buna herself maintains her home at the base of this spire.
Architecture
Spoiler
A few of the original stone structures from pre-sinking Thallek remain, and these are highly prized relics of a beloved past. Contemporary construction focuses on multi-layered columns and arches, takes advantage of the fact that there is no 'ground' floor, and often incorporates living elements - coral, seaweed, etc - into the decor.
The Domes of Air
Spoiler
Interaction with the surface races, and the ability to use fire, are both useful to the Thall. To that end Bara has guided the creation of a series of tethered domes, containing those few citizens who are air-breathing, visitors to the city, and those who either wish to deal with the preserved relics of ancient Thallak, or to work with fire.
These domes are normally securely bound to the ocean floor, with airlocks at the bottom to permit passage in and out. In extraordinary circumstances, however, Bara can cause one or more to rise to the surface, the better to facilitate contact with the surface world.
Government/Religion
Spoiler
Thallak is a loose theocracy, hastily reorganized around the rule of Vaisi and Yalla. Of course, the Thall do their best to spread their new gods' religion to other states, but the nature of their rise to prominence doesn't inspire much love from the other gods, and thus far the worship of VaisiYalla. Most Thall give at least lip service to both gods, and few single one out for service. Most temples, especially those of Poseidon, have been converted over to worship of the two gods.
Vaisi was a goddess of stoneworking, and has taken over as a kind of hearth-goddess, a protector of the home, as well as a goddess of crafting and sculpting. Most of her services include the ceremonial touching of or connecting with bits of carved stone. Yalla was a warrior god of the sea, and has taken over defense of Thall's traders, hunters, farmers, etc. His worship involves dance and movement - think of a kind of underwater Tai Chi. While both gods are basically benign, Vaisi's servants tend towards Lawful Neutral, and Yalla's towards Neutral.
Buna is nominally at the head of this new church, but in practice delegates all responsibilities to priests and deacons. She focuses instead on the administration of eight ministries, the chief servants and agents of which see to the business of Thallak. The Ministries are:
Defense
Fisheries
Foreign Service
Mining and Shaping
Public Works
Research
Sport and Culture
Taxation and Trade
The Defense ministry is primarily charged with mounting small standing defenses around food stocks, the ever-shifting border of the nation, and Glower's Gash. There are also a small contingent of knight-like figures mounted on aquatic steeds, and a few who train for use of the Kwalishes.
The ministry of Fisheries is tasked with overseeing food stocks, experimenting with new ways to use kelp, and seeking out new food sources.
The Foreign service maintains close links with nearby Locathah and aquatic elves, and more modest contacts with a dozen port cities in surrounding continents. Less publicly, dozens of operatives work in cities all over the region, encouraging the spread of the VeiliYalla religion and advancing the trade interests of the Thall through sabotage, espionage, theft and other unsavoury methods.
The ministry of Shaping has come a very long way in developing underwater construction techniques, and Thall craftspeople are now unparalleled at the use of mortarless stonework. The ministry also works with Public Works on major construction projects.
In the absence of the need for roads, walls, etc, the ministry of public works has focused on creating defensible structures for the perimeter of Thallak, and on perfecting the technology of the Domes. There are also seven huge open amphitheatre structures, hemispherical in design, used for public celebrations and major sporting events.
The two focuses of the Ministry of Research are: how can life in an aquatic environment be made more pleasant, and how can Thallak be returned to the surface. The inherent conflict between these two purposes has lead to many heated arguments at the Ministry.
The ministry of Sport and Culture became surprisingly important in the years After Descent. With most of the country's visual art, literature and organized sports wiped out in a day, it fell to the ministry to devise new forms of recreation (three dimensional races, wrestling and a kind of aquatic rugby all became popular), create new public works of art (sculpture, not surprisingly, has become very popular, although there are also a large number of artists working with coloured sand, and with water moving in specific patterns), and encourage the spread of these pastimes and artworks to other cultures.
The ministry of Taxation and Trade oversees the flow of commerce, assesses tariffs on many goods flowing into Thall and is generally hated by the entire population. Some things remain true even in the most fantastical of settings.
Thallak has evolved into a kind of ongoing dictatorship under the undying Buna, supported by a rotating council of twenty citizens. Eight are senior officials within the ministries, one is a representative of the church, one represents trading guilds, and ten are chosen by the population at large to represent their interests.
Buna
Spoiler
In the years Before Descent, Buna a senior official within the ministry of trade. She pushed herself to excel in her magical training in order to serve her people. She grew to become a powerful weather witch and capable administrator, and watched as Thallak's influence spread across the continent and over the waves. Seeking a way to be free even of the thumb of the gods, she formed alliances with upstart deities.
In the aftermath of the Descent, Buna threw herself into the work of reconstructing the society. In order to extend her ability to work non-stop, she undergoes an excruciating ritual of transformation to become an undying avatar of her people. Embracing their new environment, she also spliced tentacles into her body, the better to represent the Thall with their new neighbours.
WARNING: NSFW
Spoiler
__________________
Peridot avatar (complete with demon consorts) courtesy of the very talented Telasi.
Despair favours the status quo. It is a luxury we cannot afford. ~ Andrew Nikiforuk
OOC: I'm stealing the name from the original game of Warhammer, 'cause it's awesome and Egyptian enough to sound right....lol
Nehekhara, Land of the Godking _________
Overview
Nehekhara sits in the midst of the coastline of the great Arakian Desert, near the Crispiun Sea. It is a land surrounded on three sides by endless wastes of sand, and on the fourth by salt water. Its inhabitants sail forth on galleys crewed by slaves on missions of trade and plunder. Many an adventurer has woken from a hard night at the inn to find themselves chained to an oar, naked.
Law and Order
In Nehekhara, the word of the godking is law, applied to the populace via his elite cadre of Judges, attended by their Enforcers. Penalties are harsh, but none worse than the Shrivening.
Reserved for only the vilest of traitors, the offender is flayed of all the skin on his body, every last inch, and rolled in rock salt. Finally, after he has died, his corpse is animated as an intelligent undead, then buried in the desert. Due to this punishment having been in use for literally millennia, Nehekhara has a massive reserve force of buried undead for use as a last resort defense.
Commerce
Nehekhara is a vibrant city of trade, but none so flourishes here than slavery. The slave markets of Nehekhara are world renowned as both the place to go for anything or anyone a heart may desire and as the cornerstone of a trade that inflicts suffering the world over. Many are the villages depopulated by the slavers of Nehekhara, many are the countries and empires that simultaneously make use of their cheap labor and curse them for profiting from the misery of the world.
Religion
"There are no gods, only the Godking."
This is the mantra that every single citizen of Nehekhara lives by. By their abject worship, the Godking __________ seems to thrive, for he has not aged a day in the memories of all but the longest lived residents of Nehekhara. There is a great wyrm blue dragon in the sands of Arak who can remember when he took the throne over the bodies of his brothers, and recalls the cold and calculating nature. "This is a man who should have been one of us", the wyrm often remarks.
Also WIP, but the bare bones is there.
I'll add more to this as I come up with it this weekend, but so far, here's what I'm gonna want.
From Sandstorm:
The Sandshaper PrC
Most of the arcane spells
Probably more than a few items.
From Ghostwalk:
The Sherezem and Sherezem-lar feats, reflavored to be for male members of the royal household. The male only feat from that book will be reflavored to female members of the royal family, who prize physical fitness over magical strength.
Vow of Poverty Fix Epic Progression [Here] and yes
Quote:
Originally Posted by miinstrel
Spoiler
What level of optimization do you, and the other players, prefer to play with? - Medium to low OP, I want interesting characters more than extremely powerful entities with several templates and racial LA's etc...
Dragon magazine allowed on case by case basis? - Depends on what it is, but yes content from Dragon mags is allowed.
Do you want us to detail city defenses? - If you would like to, Nothing crazy, unless you would like to spend it from your characters money pot
Do we have a "budget" for our nations like Drack's game? Or just be reasonable. - Be reasonable, not everyone is the king of queen of their nation, this isn't a nation game where you have direct control over it, but get to design it and live in it.
Monstrous cohorts allowed like a dragon? How would I calculate that... My cohort will be lvl 17 so... CR 17? Other? - Standard for 3.5 rules, which =I believe is RHD + LA+templates. I will ad hoc any LA that is not listed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by drack
Spoiler
also Bel, what are your views on the magic lands/quests/ect in end of each of the complete series and the DMGII magic events?- TBH not sure what your asking about with the first questions, I am familiar with those magic lands/quests/ect in end of each of the complete series, but I'm not sure why your asking.
Also what of elder evils (grants 1+1/5levels free feats from a list for worshiping them, and pacts with demons for your soul in exchange for benefit (FC 2 I believe). I ask these together since they have similar premises, though I'd check them out as three groups. - No worshipping of Elder Evils but Pacts with Demons/devils are fine.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eiko
Spoiler
Bel, taken Dweomerkeeper to epic levels (advances 2 abilities, mantle does nothing since I'm a sorcerer, more supernatural spells per day), what bonus feat progression/selection do you feel is appropriate?
I assume the slowest but whats the list? Getting epic leadership this way would be awesome since then I could pickup mythic sovereign or something like that.
Dweomerkeeper is in the build purely so I can supernatural permanency on teleportation circle. I want to set up all the fairy gates
Reposting Nation and things for my easy reference.
Spoiler
Race: Catfolk LA+1 (Miniatures Handbook) - Approved
Template: (Maybe add one later) - Depends
Class: Sorcerer (PHB + Spell Compendium) - Yup
Class 2: Swashbuckler (Complete Warrior) - Sounds good to me
That is all for now maybe thinking of adding ranger/druid class. - ok
And for a cohort: Dragon Shaman PHBII - done.
P.S. I have a complete LACK of artistic talent, so I apologise for complete lack of maps or images, I may scetch out something small but that would be about it. - I'm sure we can find someone who can draw a map.
I'll add more to this as I come up with it this weekend, but so far, here's what I'm gonna want.
From Sandstorm:
The Sandshaper PrC - Roger, Roger
Most of the arcane spells - "Most" of them...lol (oh you mean from sandstorm!)
Probably more than a few items. - Go ahead
From Ghostwalk:
The Sherezem and Sherezem-lar feats, reflavored to be for male members of the royal household. The male only feat from that book will be reflavored to female members of the royal family, who prize physical fitness over magical strength. - Approved
From Librum Eternia:
The Godking PrC - Approved, but your followers & Cohort do not gain the Leadership feat.
For my first cohort, General Ratapesh:
Crusader from Tome of Battle - Good
Incarnate from Magic of Incarnum - Even better Azure Champion PrC - Tentatively a yes for now, but with preq BAB increased to +10.
For my second cohort, Queen Irkalla: - How are you getting 2 cohorts? (just curious)
Hmm, mostly they just looked interesting, though I do like the necromantic energy squid and nature magical events and boccob's library though I can't really use the last one and the middle one would requite a good deal of minions devoted to it, or to be an NPC held thing, it does fit my theme rather well.
Since you're increasing the requirements and making at least three levels of that class epic, can I drop the Leadership prerequisite on the class, then?
Second Cohort-
Through the Godking's Attract Viceroy class feature. Every time I get that class feature, at 5th level and every five levels thereafter, I get another cohort, with each being five levels below the previous cohort. So I get the General, the Queen at five levels below him, then at 10th level, I get another at 10 levels below the General.
My stuff:
The teleporter base class (here)
Spell compendium spells (duh)
A couple custom magic items (tba) This feat chain (It's not essential to me at all, it just is really cool)
The loremaster and horizon walker prcs from the DMG
Fluffy stuff
Quote:
The Transporter's Guild
The astral headquarters of the transporter's guild Character
Spoiler
The master transporter is probably one of the best-known people in the world. He travels the world, searching for new areas to set up parts of the guild in, and it is only the rare small hamlet that he has not personally visited. All his side adventuring notwithstanding, he can be hired (for a high price), to explore something personally or escort an adventuring party. This happens rarely, due to the prohibitive costs, but those chartered trips are one of the transporters guild's man sources of revenue. The man himself is good-natured and freedom-loving, but immediately becomes serious when matters of business are discussed.
Location
Spoiler
The transporter's guild has branches in practically every major city in the multiverse, and it is in it's best interests to make sure that everyone knows about it. It's business model demands availability for everyone, anywhere. That being said, the guild has a massive headquarters in the astral plane, and every major branch has a gate to it that can only be accessed by members of the guild. Said headquarters is where all the members of the guild live, sleep, and dine when they are not on chartered missions. The headquarters is also the method by which a nation can move it's armies, for the right price.
Population
Spoiler
The transporter's guild is made up mostly of humans, due to their racial urge to accomplish things and become powerful. The guild also has a significant number of elves and half-elves, who appreciate the wandering lifestyle. Fewer of the other races are represented, but anyone who shows magical aptitude as a teleporter may find a job in the guild.
Economy
Spoiler
The transporter's guild's economy is entirely based on service. Anyone who has the money can hire a teleporter to bring them across the continent. This service is the main source of income for the guild. An adventuring party can also hire out a teleporter to work in their adventuring party, for a time, for a higher price. Finally, the guild is the main way that non-fey nations can quickly move troops. For an extremely high price, a group of teleporters will move an army, bypassing normal barriers and allotting for extremely fast troop deployment.
Religion
Spoiler
There are only a few clerics in the transporter's guild, but the guild itself is not non-religious. Fharlanghn, the traveler, is commonly worshiped, and non-humans often worship their own gods. The master transporter himself admires Fharlanghn and looks upon him as a sort of uncle, although it is unknown whether the god returns the sentiment.
Alignment
Spoiler
The predominant alignment of the guild is CN, with it's members loving freedom and disliking constraints. As a result, the guild leaves members mostly to their own devices in seeking out contracts, although it does demand 20% of what they earn.
Government
Spoiler
The transporter's guild is run by a council of the 9 best transporters, who pass guild rules and regulations, and who decide if the guild gets involved in wars. Above the council is the master transporter, who has 8 and 1/2 votes. The council, therefore, must be unanimous in any decision against what the master transporter wishes. The master transporter, however, normally does not involve himself in the decisions of the council, using his time mostly to travel and only voting on important matters.
Recruitment
Spoiler
The transporter's guild doesn't actively recruit members, but it is the only place to be trained as a teleporter. Anyone who wants in can just go to the nearest office and request to be tested. The test is mostly for magical aptitude, but also requires a bit of knowledge of survival and geography. Those who pass are taken to the astral headquarters and trained for a few years before being released as full members of the transporter's guild.
So... yeah. The transporter's guild. You've got one in your capitol city, if I know about it, and anyone can hire it out. Need an army moved? Trying to pin down those fey? Call us.
still a WIP
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My wifi is down. It should be back up by the 22nd. Sorry, snowy, morcy, drack, hat, etc.
Since you're increasing the requirements and making at least three levels of that class epic, can I drop the Leadership prerequisite on the class, then? Yes
Second Cohort-
Through the Godking's Attract Viceroy class feature. Every time I get that class feature, at 5th level and every five levels thereafter, I get another cohort, with each being five levels below the previous cohort. So I get the General, the Queen at five levels below him, then at 10th level, I get another at 10 levels below the General.
Hmmm, okay, seems I missed that, I'll ok the Godking with no attract Viceroy ability, sorry if that makes it unusable....
Quote:
Originally Posted by white rider
My stuff:
The teleporter base class (here) - Allowed with no "Hostile Teleportation"
Spell compendium spells (duh) - Yup
A couple custom magic items (tba) - Yup This feat chain (It's not essential to me at all, it just is really cool) - Those are cool, yes.
The loremaster and horizon walker prcs from the DMG - good to go.
Fluffy stuff
Quote:
Originally Posted by drack
Whoops, seems we missed this one.
(basically how much "everything" is it tat you want run by you?)
Everything crunch wise, I don't need to ominus dominus the color of your guys hair.
Making something that's both a functional bard and an ur-priest is HARD!
Here's a preliminary List:
Prestige Classes:
Spelldancer PrC (Magic of Faerun)
UrPriest (Complete Divine)
Fochlucan Lyrist (Complete Adventurer)
Still working on an epic progression
Grafts (probably aboleth, maybe undead)
Chaos Shuffling of a couple of feats one requirements for a prestige class have been met.
Spending skill points to acquire Druidic as a language, or perhaps waiving the requirement for Fochlucan Lyrist.
For the cohort:
Water Genasi (Forgotten Realms)
Artificer
Legendary & Extraordinary Artisan
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Peridot avatar (complete with demon consorts) courtesy of the very talented Telasi.
Despair favours the status quo. It is a luxury we cannot afford. ~ Andrew Nikiforuk
Everything crunch wise, I don't need to ominus dominus the color of your guys hair.
you sure, that nearly killed the last DM I had that did that, and he was more active on the forums. (let me reiterate, it's not that he nearly died, so much as that he was so overwhelmed with the influx that the last bits of his sanity were waning as a co-DM finally stepped up to take the torch while he screwed his head back on right. (I am always suspicious of such ambitious DMs)
anywho sent you a quick list of arcane spells had lying around from that game. I may send the divine depending on how my cohort ends up. Also do feats like dragon cohort and wild cohort count as multiple cohorts? (the latter is more of a weaker animal companion and the former... well not much to say on that one )
Edit: anywho I'll be taking it slow as I've been doing more and more lately for the sake of your sanity.
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Epic Nations game Crunch (no new players)
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(I am always suspicious of such ambitious DMs)
