Posted by Savin at 6:18 PM 1 comments
Labels: House Rules
As my mentor Thaumalogical Research mentor Gothak Sortan used to say, "All data is valid data. In the field it is not the measurers duty to attempt to interpret what data is valid and what is not." While I have been fortunate enough to rarely find myself in the position of field assistant, it would appear that this is now the role that I am forced into. Fortunately, however, I am not subject to the whims of of some softheaded Palsinist and, instead, find myself in the position of gathering data to further my own research.
To this end, I shall endevor to record my experiences as accurately as possible. I shall, at a later date, review this ledger in order to distill proper theoretical conclusions from the data thus gatherred.
After traveling through a failing portal from Furlough and encountering some semi-permanent Collective Spontaneous Thaumological Fields (see my Treatise of Magical History) during the theoretically instantaneous portal voyage, I found myself back in Haven.
It appears that the magical changes that I encounterred in Furlough had persisted into Haven as well. Further, they were at least a quasi-stable phenomenon. Simple solar and cosmological observations allowed me to determine that approximately 97 years had passed during our travel through the portal. Once I have access to proper instrumentation, I should be able to further refine this time.
I have determined that certain Spellforms seem to nearly be capable of functioning. I have managed to get a handful to work though their results no longer corepsond to previous emperical results. I believe that their is an orthogonal relationship between the third, seventh, and thirteenth forms to the second and ninth. This bears further study.
My companions and I finally reached a small settlement after being forced to engage several groups of goblinoid raiders. I hesitate to call it a bastion of civilization for the town possessed no library, observatory, or proper mage college.
I headed over to the Temple which proved to be a simple inn of rough but acceptable quality. There I encounterred two human men and a halfling woman with whom I enterred into discussion.
Of particular note was Marcus who claimed to be a magical scholar. I question the validity of this particulat assertion. To begin, Marcus subscribed to the Helvan school of thought! His thaumological series are divergent beyond the seventeeth iteration of divinational transmogrification! Marcus does not seem to have access to any spellforms whatsoever.
In any event, Marcus was researching a dormant portal within the Temple. He has a formulaic proof that he believes may lead to a possible reactivation of the portal. While I question the basis of his evocative theorems, this research is still worth investigating.
To this end, I proceeded to the mage college to which Marcus had directed me. Unfortunately, this "college" proved to be nothing more then Marcus' domicile. I restrained my instinct to label Marcus as the Lotrian that he clearly is and instead headed to the halfiling's shop directly accross the street.
The puveyor of this shop sold a variety of products that she called "Alchemical". I will have to do research into the etomology of this word. The shopkeep (whose name escapes me) claimed that these items had arisen in the time since the failure of magic as a replacement for the services that magic had provided.
This claim seems unfounded. Instead, it seems clear to me that alchemy is a previously undiscoverred magical control form (again see my treatise on magical history). Her assertion as to the cause of alchemy's discovery does seem well founded. The powers of these alchemical items seems decidedly weaker then the spellforms that I previously had access to. As a result, research before the changes to magic likely were abandoned as unfruitful.
One of my companions talked to the mayor and the watch captain. It was revealed that a nearby kobold encampment had fallen out of contact with the town. I was strongly interested in investigating this development. Because dragonkin express one of the innate magical control forms, I wished to discover what effect (if any) the changes had caused to their access methods.
While I wished to investigate this theoretic branch of research, I decided to accompany the rest of my group who had chosen another direction.
While traveling, we came across the sight of a caravan that had been ambushed. Certain reptilian (or possibly reptiloid) tracks indicated the possible involvement of kobolds. Following these tracks led us to a recently abandoned temple. Draconian grafiti strengthened the kobold theorem even further.
We were able to follow tracks from this temple to an abandoned mine. This mine proved to actually lead to a secret underground hiding place of kobolds.
We encountered several groups of kobolds and a brief interview indicated that they were reluctantly under the trall of a blue dragon. As a result my party has been careful to avoid undue casualties amongst their number. It is my hope, that once we have dealt with this dragon, Yulia (my dragonkin companion) may be able to restore some order to this group.
I am also hopeful that encountering this dragon (which obviously of purer dragon blood then a kolbold) will further refine my understanding of the new state of magical access.
Posted by Savin at 1:52 PM 0 comments
A treatise on the origins of magic in the modern world
- Savin Thonät
Magic is a conspicuous but ubiquitous part of the everyday life. Indeed, many people (the humble author included) could scarcely get through a day without it. It is surprising then how little most people understand it. Indeed, many spell casters stumble through their lives with only the vaguest of understandings as to how magic actually works and the implications of these mechanisms.
Source
Magic, as we are all aware, is (at its base) simply the manipulation of energy. In this particular case, the energy exists in a nearly uniform field[1] surrounding all things. There is some discussion (Fizban - Where the Peaches Go and Dumbledore - The conservation of magical mass in Phoenix ash being the most prominent) as to whether this magic energy actually constitutes its own coterminous plane (like the astral and shadow planes)[2] but this is irrelevant to the current discussion.
What is relevant, however, is that raw magical energy is not properly controllable directly by non-divine entities. Even in small amounts, this energy is highly damaging to the host. Indeed, I have posited that the occasional case of spontaneous combustion reported in the known lands is, in fact, the uncontrolled channelling of uncontrolled magical energy.
So how then are beings other then the gods (and perhaps a few high level angels and devils) able to use magic at all? Why aren't their pyres of burning wizards, sorcerers, and clerics on every corner? There are, in fact, at least four separate answers to this question.
Forms of Control
The forms of magical control are arranged by their relative antiquity. The oldest being discussed first.
Innate
Certain creatures (Dragons, Phoenix, and certain salamanders) as well as their part-blood offspring (kobolds being the most common example) seem able to channel magical energy at will. Indeed the dragon could not even fly if it were not for magical assistance[3]. It would appear that each of these species contains, within its makeup, the ability to protect itself from the dangers of interaction with raw magic. In the case of dragons (and their brethren) this control takes the form of tiny projections of crystallized Will[4] that focus and channel the magical energy while protecting the body. The dragon has no knowledge of these crystals but is still able to make use of them.
Recently there has arisen amongst the civilized races a form of spell caster known as the Sorcerer. Wildly undisciplined, they seem to ignore the spellforms of proper wizards and channel magic with abandon. In every documented case of Sorcery, Will crystals were discovered within the host. Indeed, there are several documented cases of Dragon ancestry within their past. Several scandals have been caused due to this fact.
Divine
In the case of divine spell casters, the source of control is easy enough to determine. Since divine entities can channel the raw magical forces directly, they are able to transmute it into a form that can be handled by standard divine casters. Small amounts of magic are transmuted without conscious thought[5] but larger levels require a more direct divine intervention. Thus divine casters who deviate too far from their god's chosen ideals typically do not lose their powers until they attempt to access a stronger spell (thus alerting their deity to their transgressions).
Of course, deities are little more than stabalized Thaumological Fields (see below) that have obtained consciousness (or at least an approximation there of) it isn't clear whether these two sources truly deserve seperate secions.
Spell forms
Fenor, known for his love of change and trickery, desired to allow greater access to magic to the general intelligent races. Since direct contact with a significant amount of raw magical energy is fatal in nearly all cases, Fenor devised the spellforms. Spellforms allow the tiniest amounts of raw magic to be used to form a matrix through which much greater amounts of magic can be channelled.
The spellforms are a means for anyone to access the abilities of magic. They do not require a particular birthright (like Sorcery) or dedication to a specific deity (as with divine magics) but rather simply dedicated study.
Each spellform is a specific series of gestures, words, and mundane components used to trigger a specific spell. Each part of a spellform is used to focus a small piece of raw magic into the lattice that forms the larger spell. Rather like weaving, the individual threads of magic are woven into the desired shape and outcome. Thus raw, uncontrolled magical energy can be shaped into nearly any form imaginable with the use of the correct spellform.
Raw magic is still extremely powerful. This power explains the physical drain imposed upon the caster. Further it is the cause of the destruction of most material components used in spell casting.
Collective Spontaneous Thaumological Fields
It has been noted that the Goblin races are able to exhibit powers that closely mimic those shown by divine casters. Since their gods are non-existent delusions, the above method of channelling employed by clerics of the civilized races is not applicable. So what, then, is occurring?
A first guess would to assume that goblinoids (like kobolds) have a magically attuned ancestor. This assumption would be flawed in two ways:
1. Such an ancestor would lead to an arcane expression of magical control rather than a divine one
2. The extensive testing done on Goblins to determine their connection to the Feywild (See Savin Thonät - Goblins, Elves, Eladrin, Nymphs, and the Feywild: a Comparative Meta-anatomical Study)
Despite continual efforts from missionary groups to prove the falsehood of their gods, goblinkind remains unified and fervent in their belief of their "gods". It is my assertion[6] that this unified belief forms a metamagical field around each member of the goblinoid race. This field (and the corresponding belief in the abilities of their clerics' powers) serves the same purpose as the spellforms introduced by Fenor. It mediates the contact with the raw magic and thus allows what appears to be divine magic to come from a race that possesses no pantheon of gods.
Further evidence of this comes from the elaborate gestures required by goblin casters to invoke their divine spells. These gestures are reminiscent of the somatic components of a wizard's spell. Without these movements, their shaman and witches cannot perform their magic and are rendered powerless.
This "belief field" is a great weakness to the goblinoid races as (should it be disrupted in some way) they would lose all access to divine magics.
[1] See (Elminster - Elminster Elminster, I like my name) for a detailed measurement study of variations of magical field strength.
[2] Personally I think that Fizban's inverted Divination theorem is superior to the Phoenix ash based nonsense that Dumbledore spouts.
[3] See Oz - The Aeronautical Inadequacies of the Wyrm Class for a detailed examination of the specifics
[4] See Savin Thonät - Physical will the continuation of mind over body.
[5] Indeed some suspect that there may be another mechanism involved in lower level divine channelling
[6] See Appendixes 32-65 for the corresponding mathematical, divinational, and alchemical proofs.
Posted by Savin at 7:15 AM 0 comments
An eladrin trance is a time for reflection and contemplation. It is here that we gain a greater understanding of the world and ourselves. Father Kurn, I use this time granted to me to explain my actions before You so that I may be judged as I have judged.
It has been, as has been said by great poets, an eventful day.
We rose with the unsettling knowledge from Savin that we are ninety-seven years into our future. Our own personal horror aside, who knows what evil the Witch-Queen could have done with nearly a century at her disposal? I fear for my brothers and sisters in the Order, and say a prayer for my family of old.
Barely had we finished breakfast, Great Father, than goblin riders descended upon us! Our guide Yulia spooked them into action, and the small grotesque creatures rode down upon us on the backs of great shaggy wolf-beasts.
Armed with spear and javelin, they were a persistence foe, striking and moving, their weapons darting in along with savage bites from their mounts' muzzles. They worked like the pack animals they are, and lunged at us all, knocking several of us to the ground, keeping us at bay and from forming solid lines.
However, our group (although still weary and confused from the strange changes that have plagued our mind and our world) worked well to bring justice to the creatures. Vos provided assistance and battle plans to all, Yulia was a dervish of fury with her pairing of ax and sword, Savin called down magics the likes of which I admit I have not seen before. He appeared frustrated by the way his mystic powers manifested, but he threw enemies around like toys. Baern's calls and prayers at first seemed to falter, but with resolute conviction he took forth his great maul and laid into the enemy with furious abandon. I guess even though a priest of your Merciful Wife, he is in all things a dwarf.
I myself, must admit with shame, did not provide as much support as I desired to. I recall so much martial training, but my body does not seem to heed the call! Your firm teachings were just out of reach, Great Father. I must mediate on your words from my vision and exercise myself back into being your instrument in the world.
Eventually we brought the goblinoids low and took two prisoners. I took from one of them a masterful dwarven war spear. I must admit to appreciating the skill of the crafters: it is magnificent weapon.
One of the goblins spoke a halting form of Dwarven, so Priest Baren took to the interrogation. From it we learned that the dwarven fief of Steinhold had fallen to the goblins! A tragedy that I missed the call to arms such a fight would have brought!
We also learned that something called 'Lord Teeth' had come to the goblins less than five years ago and sparked this unrest. These goblins were part of a war band lead by a warleader Grimnack, and were primarily interesting in disrupting iron ore shipments to the nearby Alliance town of Resolute. Indeed, a caravan was supposedly the target of our prisoner's war band.
The group faced a dilemma: how to warn the caravan when we knew not where it was? Eventually the group came to a conclusion: we must divide our meager force. My brother Vos and Yulia the dragonborn, the two swiftest, would rush towards the end of the trail and seek the caravan along the road itself. Savin, Baern and myself would progress down the mountain and see if we could find a vantage point from which to survey the environment and see the endangered convoy.
I wished my brother a successful journey and prayed to you Father Kurn for his safety. Things are different in the world now and I fear he may take on too much.
The prisoners we left tied to trees as we descended the mountain. Priest Baern was cold in his belief in ending their existence, but that I fear was the rage from hearing of his people's suffering. Savin provided pragmatic reasons for slaying them as well, but I would not hear of it. The Order does not condone cold blooded murder, and had I the chance I would turn them over to justice. But out here there is only the justice we carry ourselves. I fear them not, they know they had already been bested.
Our diminished group traveled for some down the twisty, meandering path. Familiar trees that I remember from our trip up to the Grand Portal were around us once more, but grown tall and wild with ninety-seven years of passage. It was odd to see so familiar a sight changed so. It was like watching a human age: you turn your back and sudden the apple-cheeked lad is a grandfather! Such thoughts distracted me, I am ashamed to admit, and because of that we stumbled into the goblin camp like first year trainees.
The hue and cry went up from the dozen or so tents, and a horde of the beasts came out to assault us. Baen, Savin, and I put up a spirited defence of spells, prayers, and steel. We were swarmed by the creatures, and one of them practiced magic most foul. It sent a cloud of dark sparks that buzzed around us like insects, leaving trails of cold smoke and noises to distract us. I admit that it caused my spear arm to miss on more than one occasion.
Savin is adamant that the nature of the cloud caused him to misaim his 'Thunder Hammer' spell so that it caught me in the blast. I know my brother's master's pride however, and think it more likely he simply didn't check his range first. Mages.
The battle was terrible and fearsome, and I was given many a ringing blow to my armor. I admit to almost falling to my knees which would have been deathwhen Priest Baern brought forth a divine miracle. He reached forth to Ellaselle and brought succor to our side while depriving the enemy of his strength in a single action. That one burst allowed us the reprieve we required to turn the tide and bring ruin to our foes. In the end we put them to the sword; all but that foul witch doctor, who fled, as is their cowardly way.
We searched their camp, and found it possessed mostly scavenged and pillaged dwarven goods. We took what we could carry, and dumped the rest off the nearby cliff face. We found a small far-seeing device there, and looked down upon the caravan road. However, we could see nothing more than a trail cut in the woods. After regaining our breath, we proceeded on.
It was barely an hour later when, descending a game path, Savin pointed out that down slope of us was not only the main caravan trail, but also a number of goblins preparing an ambush! We had the advantage of holding the high ground (now physically as well as morally), and took the battle to them.
The thickness of the trees provided cover for both sides. It was a deadly game of movement and sniping all around. We clung to the game trail and dueled with a few skirmishers, and that almost proved our undoing. Savin was nearly punctured by a hail of arrows fired unseen from the wood, and it was only Baern and my prayers that reinforced his spirit enough to coax him from the shelter of that tree stump.
I slew one skirmisher, but another fled before I could deliver proper justice to it. Baern and Savin advanced into the forest and the blizzard of arrows from therein. Eventually getting close enough, Baern called down holy fire and good dwarven made steel upon their heads. Savin unleashed a roaring ball of fire the likes of which I admit to never having seen before. I have seen a similar spell used by my brother long ago, but it was something he had left behind as his arcane studies progressed. Here, this sphere of elemental flame was an engine of destruction. It lashed out with whips of fiery rage and goblins fell before the fury.
We had broken the back of this ambush, but one had gotten away. We prepared ourselves, and sure enough, goblinoid reinforcements soon arrived, coming down the main road in open formation. They must have lacked enough troops to flank us, as it appeared to be an all out assault.
Savin proved his arcane skills once more, throwing a bolt of energy into their midst that exploded and slew several. When the smoke cleared a much diminished force continued to advance upon us. I had pulled myself back in hopes of drawing them toward me, but my companions apparently were not all that skilled at camouflage, and the enemy charged their position. I was forced to advance.
It became a maelstrom of violence and fury. However, for the first time since coming home, I truly felt you were with me, Father Kurn. Victory would not fall to the other side, it my mine to claim. I called your name and smote the enemy leader with the glory of your justice. A light burst from your amulet around my neck and struck the enemy commander, burning into his foul flesh and dazing him. Calling upon you once more, I let loose a fearsome smite against a blood-crazed goblin beside me, striking hard and wounding his sword arm. Savin followed with up with another twin burst of his 'Thunder Hammer' spell, driving the enemy out of formation and leaving them vulnerable to Baern's powerful strikes. I could feel his divine patron helping my spear arm, and I struck true with many blows.
In the end we brought low the ambushing force of goblins and no doubt made the road safer. The joy of victory in battle was reinforced when the caravan arrived, safely.
All this was done in your name, Kurn, the Father and the Judge. As we travel with the caravan, I ask how else I might serve your great name and the great venture of justice. For I know you are not done with your servant, not yet. There is still much to come, and when it does, I must meditate on it. For this world is filled with mysteries and danger
Posted by Savin at 7:12 AM 0 comments
The season is that of the Mother Ellaselle and it is Waxing. I do not know the particular day, but I am sure Savin would have a complicated way of figuring it out. For now I will enjoy the season of Ellaselle. These are my contemplations as we are breaking camp before we investigate what has occurred in the ninety seven years that have occurred without us.
I write this and realize that to those that might read my writings inthe future the names will have little meaning if I do not put some sortof face to the name. Some introductions are in order. These are thecompanions I travel with:
There is Savin an Eladrin scholar and an accomplished wizard. He is always continually forwarding his understanding of arcane theoriesincluding his own. He is a very educated individual, maybe a eccentric,but what wizard is not? He has lived a life of relative privilege as atutor for Eladrin nobility. He is always interested in a conversation about advanced arcane theory that is well beyond most, and he has tosometimes be reminded his audience does not understand any of the termshe is using.
There is Vos. He is the eldest of two brothers that are compatriots inour motley crew. The eldest son in an Eladrin noble family, he has beentrained in advanced martial tactics as a noble officer. He is theapprentice of Savin, or it might be more correct to say Saving is histutor. Although quite capable in martial aspects Vos shares an interestin arcane aspects that is unusual on one of such martial training. Savin and Vos are two of the few individuals that can carry any sort ofmeaningful conversation about the advanced arcane theories that Savinloves so much. These conversations mean very little to one such asmyself, but they are obviously very knowledgeable and intelligentindividuals.
Olen is the younger of the two Eladrin brothers. Having surrendering his claim to nobility he has pursued the path of a holy knight. Somewhat reserved, he occasionally gets boisterous when in directcompetition with his brother Vos. Stoic, he does his best to protecteveryone from harm. As time passes, I suspect I will have moreobservations about Olen. For now, he is the reserved holy knight ofKurn, the Father. He wears his faith well.
Yulia is the first of the proud dragonborn I have met. A self proclaimed monster hunter; I do not doubt her claims for a moment. Wielding an axe and a longsword she will rush in to devastate a foe. Her knowledge of nature has been indispensable. She often is able tosupplement our rations with something more palatable. The pride shewears on her sleeve seems to be a common trait of her race from what I understand. It might be seen as haughtiness to some, but I assure youthat you will understand it is not after traveling with here a short time. Her unusual accent and martial prowess are valued greatly.
Finally there is myself, Baern. I am a missionary of Ellaselle the Mother. I am a dwarf, which might seem unusual in this band on mostly Eladrin. Eladrin typically revere Ellaselle which might explain thesituation. They irony of this is, I do not think any of my compatriots worship Ellaselle. Some of my writings may be coloured by my dwarvenheritage, but I do try and write truthfully. I pale in comparison to those I travel with. I will tend their ills, and facilitate theircuriosity about Ellaselle should they seek something more. I will protect them as I do my family. Ellaselle has blessed me beyond anyfantasy, and I, as a faithful subject, will not fail.As I wait for the water to boil for our breakfast I contemplate the...
We are under attack!!!!...
Posted by Savin at 7:07 AM 0 comments
Before I get to some of the more current happenings, let me first summarize the chaotic events that have occurred in our exodus from Haven.
According to Savin, the magic appears to have been sucked out of Haven. This has affected both Arcane and Divine casting, although my faith is strong, and I feel Ellaselle has stood by me in this trying time. The failing of magic has led to the great dam failing. It was all my companions and I could to the escape the mad on-rushing of the waters the dam once contained. Much of our equipment was swept away by the flood waters. We managed to salvage only a limited amount of what we once had.
On our way out we encountered a dwarf merchant and his son. The merchant had a nasty gash on his arm. While I tended to the wound he explained how he had sustained the wound in a trading village not far away that was now over run with Orcs. Something did not seem right with this pair, and Orcs sounded like a pretty tall tail given they have been extinct for ages. We agreed to accompany the Merchant and his son to the great portal to ensure they were not beset by Orcs once again. Savin was very interested in investigating what was happening at the Great Portal given that all of the magic seemed to be flowing towards it. I was curious myself as my once strong link with Ellaselle was now little more than an echo on the wind. It would be untruthful of me to suggest this did not concern me greatly as well.
Upon our arrival we were surprised to discover that Orcs had returned to Haven. Were they have come from is a mystery, but they had occupied the Great Portal. These Orcs seemed vexed at the pair of Dwarves that accompanied us, but they were otherwise not hostile. Savin went forward to converse with them about the happenings. It took some coaxing, but we managed to remind Savin that the magics seemed to be fading quickly. Once we got him on track again, he managed to discover the Orcs appeared to have once been the villagers that the Dwarves had a good trading arrangement with. These Orcs or should I say villagers, no longer could converse, although they did comprehend what we were saying. It was obvious that something foul was at work. I am sure Savin will have some theory on the situation, but we really did not have time to discuss such a matter given that magic was draining out through the Great Portal ever quicker. Only a feint whisper could still be heard. The Orcs permitted us to pass without incident, and we investigated the Great Portal.
The Great Portal looked like a massacre had occurred. The macabre scene almost turned my stomach and did turn the stomach of others. Only one of the portals was still active. We determined that it was safe to go through, and we quickly stepped through, so we might investigate the strange cause of the draining of Haven of magic before we would not have a chance. I do not know if the others had something similar occur, but I have spoken to the gods.
Yes, the average observer would discount this as the ramblings of a pious Dwarf, but I assure you this was much more than the whispers the devoute hear from one's god. I have had an audience with the Gods. Not just the Mother Ellaselle or the Father Kurn. When I stepped through the portal I stepped into an audience with Kurn the Father, Ellaselle the Mother, Paksee the Daughter, and Fenor the Son. I am assured this was not just a vision or a dream as I traveled through the Great Portal for when I arrived in Furlough I had the gift that was bestowed upon me in my hand.
It would be natural to continue with the encounter with the gods, but I will address it at a later point. We all stepped out of the portal separately in the same order we had entered, I suspect. As I was second through the portal I cannot guarantee my statement is completely accurate, but it is of little consequence at this time. We emerged from the portal into the dark ruins of the Great Portal in Furlough. Soon after we emerged from the portal we were beset by giant spiders that wanted to make a meal of us. It was a hard fought battle. One that we would have given little thought about just a few days ago, but now we struggle.
The song of Ellaselle is but a muted feint whisper where once I heard it in all of its glory without much of a thought. I must struggle to find the song an channel Ellaselle's divine power. I know my faith is strong, but I still find this very disturbing. I have noticed Savin seems to be struggling with his arcane magic as well. It would seem he may be encountering similar difficulties as I am. I have not discussed these observations with the others, so I do not know if they have made similar observations.
Savin, the scholar he is, was able to determine that approximately ninety seven years had passed since we had entered the portal. I do not know what to make of this yet. I commune with Ellaselle often. The song is becoming less muted, but there is something different about the song.
Baern
Missionary of Ellaselle.
Posted by Savin at 7:03 AM 0 comments
A few things regarding my campaign:
- no alchemical items
- so, if you buy the adventurers kit, subtractthe sunrods and give yourself 4 gp. If you desire, buy a lantern & oil(@ 1 sp a pint, which lasts 6 hours), torches, candles or whatever else with the gp. I would strongly recommend a light source of some sort. Ever lasting torch is fine, if you can afford it.
- even if you have the gp (doubtful), no potions to start.
- I'm undecided on whether Eladrin are fey (rather than natural) or not. The matter is hotly contested by those academics who care (so,you have an opinion, Mark?). I'll decide the matter if/when it becomesrelevant or there is a plot reason to do so. Elfs may/may not be fey as well it is even more hotly debated whether they are more/less so than Eladrin.
-I will screw with other creature types, as needed. For example, thereis debate as to whether goblins are fey (feel free to throw in yourhat on this too, Mark. 8) )
-everyone may choose a background from the character builder. Please choose one based on the name/fluff, not the game effect. I reserve theright to say "uh-uh".
-I will be e-mailing you equipment. It may/may not match what you have actually bought... if it doesn't, we can discuss it by e-mail.
-I will likely be giving each player a "semi-trained" (+2) skill, basedon what holes I see in the party. I'll decide on which skills once I see all of the characters.
Posted by Savin at 7:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: House Rules, World
A short historical primer of Haven. As before, the first time I refer to a term, I do so in bold.
"Ancient" History
Mare than 1000 years ago, the Peoples (the civilized races) came to Haven. They came from somewhere to the east of Bareira, fleeing a great enemy. This migration is known as the Flight. It must have been great enemy indeed, as the Peoples found Haven to already be occupied by Goblinoids, with whom they were soon in conflict.
The Peoples soon found themselves at war with the Goblinoids and were eventually successful, pushing the Goblinoids back from what are now the civilized lands. During this time, they decimated the Goblinoids leadership cast, the Hobgoblins. This time is known as the Foundation Wars. During the Foundation Wars, the city of Ascension was founded at the feet of a mountain carrying the same name. Records of this time and of the Flight are rare and incomplete.
Some time around or after the Foundation Wars, Aeries were invented. This opened up an even greater area of expansion for the Peoples, allowing them to travel safely over the heavily forested terrain of Haven. A great period of expansion began, though this expansion involved further conflicts with the Goblinoids. The Goblnoids offered little more than temporary setbacks, however, they being largely disorganized and leadership since the massacre of the Hobgoblins in the Foundation Wars. This time is know as the Safing of Haven. Goblinoids were to remain a continuing nuisance and hazard, as were the variety other hazardous wildlife/creatures in Haven.
Some time around or after the Safing of Haven, the Eladrin Schism occurred, forever dividing the Elvin race. The reasons for the Schism are no longer known, but it forever split Elvin into those who flew the sky in Aeries, and those who lived in the forest below.
"Recent" History
Time progressed. Roughly 600 years ago, Mount Pushkin was discovered by a halfling by the same name, who first observed the unique magical properties of the mountain. It was unique in that the fabric of magic was such that one could open a portal to another world. Soon thereafter, the wizards of Haven developed the means to open such a portal (the Portal) to the world of Furlough, and Treffenholm as a trading town in a mountain nearby.
Soon thereafter, the Godwar blew up. This was a war between the peoples and the Gods of Haven and Furlough. It raged for many years, and was devastating to both worlds, but particularly Furlough, leading to much immigration from Furlough to Haven after the war. Treffenholm was destroyed by magic unleashed during the war, which blasted a huge, long hole in the ground called the Trench.
After the war, Second Chance was founded beside the Trench, again to serve as a hub for trade coming through the Portal. Steirhold was also founded nearby, to exploit the mineral wealth that was revealed by the formation of the Trench, and to hopefully recover some of the treasures lost with the blasting of Treffenholm.
"Current" History
200 or so years ago, Prince Burundis of Ascension went with a large group of followers to found a new settlement. Things went drastically wrong, however, and the settlement was over run by undead, ever since being known as Burundis's Doom. These undead were lead by the Lich-Queen Felosial and her general, the Protector Demarcis. They originally tried to invade and destroy the kingdom of Ascension, but were repulsed at great loss, success being in a large part due to the involvement of the Holy Order of Saint Tach'ol, an order of paladins based in Furlough.
In the present day, the Lich-Queen is trying again, with an army of undead the likes of which have never been seen before. They are marching on Ascension, and it will surely fall without outside help. Bareira, a long standing rival of Ascension, and the kingdom with one of the largest armies in Haven, refuses to help. As a result, the characters have been sent as ambassadors to Furlough, to hopefully get support from the kingdoms there. The fate of Haven depends on it.
Posted by Savin at 6:54 AM 0 comments
Basically, my campaign is in two worlds. You guys are from World 1 (Haven) and start in World 2 (Furlough)... though feel free to make a character that is from world 2. The are linked by a magical portal.
Haven is more forested, Furlough more deserty. Much of both worlds is unexplored.
HAVEN
Most common are the Goblinoids (not a player race) It is not known how many goblinoids there are, but there are LOTS. Traditional enemies/competitors of the civilized races.
the civivized races
These top 2 PC races are about the same in number. They tend to be everywhere, but rarely the majority. There are more halflings than humans.
Humans
Halflings
These next 3 are about 1/2 of the top 2. They tend to be more concentrated, and in the majority where they do live, and rare elsewhere.
Dwarfs
Eladrin
Elfs (Eladrin and Elfs are collectively referred to as Elvin.)
These 2 are fairly uncommon, and are all immigrants (at some point in history) from Furlough. Of the 2, Kobolds are 3-4x as common as Dragonborn.
Kobolds
Dragonborn (collectively they are known as dragonkin)
Half-elfs (very rare) Half-elves are very rare, and pretty much only live in the west. They have characteristics of both elves/eladrin and humans, but are their own race - they aren't the result of interbreeding, though they might once have been. In this campaign, they are called "half-elvin."
more uncivilised races
There is a nation of undead to the South. Numbers are unknown, with estimates varying wildly, though what is known is that corporeal & uncorporeal dead are approximately equal in numbers.
There are a few half orks, but they are very rare and again mostly in the west.
More about the civilized races
Eladrin, Dwarfs and Elfs tend to live in their own communities, apart from the other 2 (So, a place with lots of Eladrin will have few if any Dwarves or Elfs). Humans and halflings live with all 3, but typically aren't the majority. In such communities, the noble will be of the dominant race (so, eladrin, dwarf of elf). Of those 3, elf communities have the least amount of humans/halflings
Dwarfs live in the mountains, Elfs in the forest, Eladrin in flying cities that migrate. Eladrin and dwarfs get along fine (live apart more due to where they like to live). Eladrin and elves not so much... Eladrin are "magic rivendel elves", elves are "forest, mirkwood elves". They are the same race (Elvin), they just have different lifestyles/values.
There are also a few cities that are truly multicultural (aka not dominated by any one race), one of which the PCs comes from (Ascension).
Names for all races tend to end in a consonant for men, a vowel for women.
Gods
This world has a pantheon of 4 gods:
Name Role Race Element What he/she represents Alignment
Kurn Father dwarf fire justice, construction, war, strength, order lawful good
Ellaselle Mother elvin earth growth, healing, prosperity, love, family neutral good
Paksee Daughter halfling water the arts, curiousity, change, passion. children chaotic good
Fenor Son human air magic, chance, trickery, compromise, divination neutral - which neutral depends on what facet of his personality is involved
The goblinoids follow their own "gods", but they are not true gods. They tend to embody nature, strength or cunning.
FURLOUGH (from most to least common)
Humans
Kobolds
Dragonborn
Halflings
Dwarfs
Eladrin
Elfs (rare)
Gnomes (very rare)
Half-elfs (very rare)
Most nobles are human or dragonborn
This world has a crazy pantheon of goods, representing a more balanced view of emotions/values - so include evil gods as well. Most are human, but many are draconian, as well as a few "other".
RACIAL ROLES/PREJUDICES
I do realize that often the "pros" and "cons" are often contradictory - that is because prejudices often may not be accurate. Think of Negro slaves - they were thought to be lazy even when working far harder than any white person would. As to whether the "pro" or the "con" is more accurate, at this point all I can say is "yes" 8). Contact me if you want to develop how your own character's experiences have informed him/her on these prejudices.
Dragonborn:
Dragonborn are strange and reptilian to most. They tend to have a strong sense of honour, and of right and wrong. In Furlough, they tend to dominate the warrior class, and hold many noble positions as well. In Haven, they tend to be either lone knights/mercenaries, or a member of one of the monastic religious or military orders.
Common perceptions:
Pro: Trustworthy and dependable - their word is of iron. Protectors of what is good, defeaters of what is bad. Superlative warriors, devout clerics, rousing public speakers.
Con: Unreadable and unknowable. Will not compromise, for good or bad. Emotionless. Bad temperred. Bossy, unwilling to except differences.
Dwarfs:
Dwarfs, like Dragonborn, are upholders of honour and tradition. They prefer to live in holds in the mountains, delving into the ground. Reknowed metal and stone workers. Those who live outside of their holds tend to craftsmen or clerics, though it is common for dwarves to travel abroad to visit other holds or on pilgrimages.
Common perceptions:
Pro: Trustworthy, with an inherent sense of fairness. Adept craftsmen. Loyal and dedicated to whatever cause they might take. Patient, long term planners.
Con: Boorish and ill mannered. Stubborn, unable to adapt, and unwilling to change their mind or accept their own faults. Conservative, arrogant, old fashioned.
Eladrin
Eladrin are merchants, freethinkers and scholars. They prefer to live in aeries, flying cities which float from place to place. Due to the airies, they dominate trade in Haven and therefore have much greater political weight then their military or numbers would suggest. Those outside of their aeries tend to be studying, advisors, or mages for hire.
Common perceptions:
Pro: Intelligent, knowledgeable, inquisitive. They are flexible and adaptable. Skilled merchants and enchanters, responsible for much life improving magic.
Con: Arrogant, aloof, holding others as below themselves. Amoral, corrupt. More interested in knowledge than what is right. Won't help other without personal benefit.
Elfs
Elfs are hunters, trappers and foresters. They tend to live in the forest on live off its bounty. They prefer to live in towns called stands built among/on/in groups of particularly large trees. They tend to be reclusive, and react badly to others harming the forests in their lands. Those who live outside their stands tend to work as scouts and huntsmen.
Common perceptions:
Pro: Excellent archers, scouts, hunters, trappers, woodsmen and guides. The best woodwork, tanning and medicinal healing in Haven.
Con: Arrogant, value nature over people. Scheming, closed and backwards. Heretics to the faith of the Mother, saying her realm includes the chaos of nature.
Gnomes
Gnomes are so rare that little is known of them. Few from Haven will ever meet a gnome, and even those in in Furlough will rarely encounter one. Tend to live apart from other races, working in tightly knit family units. Seen as very mysterious. Best known for their inventiveness, creativity and lateral thinking.
Common perceptions:
Pro: They build the best and most innovative advancements. They are intelligent, curious and inventive.
Con: They are mad, delving into subjects best left alone. Use a gnomish invention to your peril - it will likely fail on you when you most need it. Shrewd and scheming.
Half-elvin
Like Gnomes, they are so rare that little is known of them. They tend to live apart from others in isolated communities, exclusively to the west of Haven. Despite that, they are know for their warmth to strangers and their sound common sense. As such, they are sought after as diplomats and advisors.
Common perceptions:
Pro: Warm, friendly and welcoming - they will treat you as family if you do not abuse their trust. The advice from a half-elvin is both simple and profound - follow it.
Con: They hold onto their secrets and don't share them with others. They are reclusive and evasive. One can never tell if their advice is best for you or for them.
Halflings
Halflings live everywhere, and seem particularly abundant among other races. Indeed, they seem to have no communities of their own, but instead live in or around the cities of others. Always busy, they particularly like working with their hands as servants and craftsmen. They are the predominant farmers and artisans of both Haven and Furlough.
Common perceptions:
Pro: Productive, humble, industrious and hardworking. Without the halflings, nothing would get done. Optimistic, creative, innovative, playful, artistic, joyful.
Con: Always underfoot. Lazy, need constant supervision. Frivolous and shallow. SImple, don't understand the complexities of the world. Of little importance.
Humans
Like Halflings, they live everywhere, with few centers specific to themselves. They are practical, flexible and acquisitive, and as a race don't specialize in anything. They are individualistic, and don't work as well in groups as some of the other races. Many of those originally from Haven look down on those who are immigrants from Furlough.
Common perceptions:
Pro: Able to achieve whatever they focus on. Energetic, ambitious, creative problem solvers. Free thinkers. Good leaders, innovators, public speakers & motivators.
Con: Grasping, conniving, always seeking to rise above their rightful place. Will do whatever it takes to get ahead. Poor followers. In politics, likely to stab you in the back.
Kobolds
Unlike Dragonborn, Kobolds are seen as cute rather than mysterious. Strongly social, they congregate together, and are rarely encountered alone. Often they group around a strong individual, usually a Dragonborn but preferably a real dragon. In Haven, they tend to group as followers/servants of a Dragonborn.
Common perceptions:
Pro: Good followers, always seeking to please. When given the initiative to be so, they are clever and creative. Loyal, trustworthy. Able to take care of themselves.
Con: Ass-kissers, say what you want to hear rather than the truth. No backbone, always defer to others. Harmless, but inconsequential. Sheep, easily duped.
GENDER/SEXUAL PREJUDICES
There are relatively few gender prejudices in either Haven or Furlough, with women and men filling more or less the same rolls. That said, the expectation is generally that women ought to look after the children, while men should perform the dangerous work such as going out and killing enemies. So, some may look askance at a woman in a martial profession, but not as a merchant, advisor or other important leadership role.
For the dragonkin, there are no gender roles - the young are looked after by the old, regardless of gender. Indeed, it is impossible to tell a male from a female without very careful examination of a nude individual. Indeed, the dragonkkin don't think of themselves in a genderized way - unlike the other races, most of the time they have no desire to mate. That said, every so often (according to a semi-regular schedule) the female will go into "heat" - however, unlike with animals, they can suppress it entirely, and when it does happen at a convenient time, they will choose the most promising mate (according to them) and ask them to donate their genetics and fertilize their eggs. Sex is short and perfunctory. The female will then lay her eggs in a safe place, typically tended by the elders of her community. Dragonkin rarely form permanent couplings.
Even though gender roles are relatively equal, homosexuality is seen as something peculiar and unnatural, though there is little active prejudice. It is unknown among the dragonkin, who derive no pleasure from sex or sexual relationships, and only copulate (on the relatively rare occasion they do) to propagate. Sex with minors is universally condemned, though again for Kobolds and Dragonborn it isn't an issue.
Posted by Savin at 6:47 AM 0 comments
The gods, regardless of their race, take worshippers from any race. Rather, the race is just how the peoples view them. So yes, a Dwarf could worship the mother goddess, or the daughter, or the son. The worship of the god of one's own race is somewhat more common, but not greatly so... it is by no means rare having, say, an elf worship the dwarf father god. Think of it like ancient Greece, where although Athena was the patron god of Athens, Athenians worshipped all the gods. The same may be said of gender and the god's gender - males are more likely to follow male gods, but not greatly so.
As for god specific feats, I haven't thought much on them, but considered going by ear as needed, by putting the feat with whatever god best fit the "expertise" of the book god. However, as you really need to know to make your characters... (pulling out my book):
Feat God New name
Armour of Bahamut - mother Ellaselle' Protection
Avandra's Rescue - daughter Paksee's/Fenor's Rescue
Correllon's Grace - daughter & son Paksee's Grace
Harmony of Erathris - father Harmony of Kurn
Ioun's Poise - son Fenor's Poise
Kord's Favor - father Kurn's Favor
Melora's Tide - mother Ellaselle's Balm
Moradrins's resolve - daughter Paksee's Resolve
Pelor's Radiance - father Kurn's Radiance
Raven Queen's Blessing - mother Ellaselle's Blessing
Sehanin's Reversal -son Fenor's Reversal
So, each god has 3 feats, with the son & daughter sharing Avandra's Rescue. For feats that come up in further books, I will need to decide on them when they come out.
I think that's all of them... if I missed any, please let me know so that I can rejig them.
Incidentally, I will be sending an update of that original e-mail shortly, as I have changed a few things and am adding a fair bit. One thing I have done is give the gods names (which you should be able to figure out from the above).
Posted by Savin at 6:45 AM 0 comments
My campaign is in two worlds.
You guys are from World 1 and start in World 2... though feel free to make a character that is from world 2.
World 1 is more forested, World 2 more deserty.
Much of both worlds is unexplored.
Races
World 1 (from most to least common).
Goblinoids (not a player race)
These top 3 PC races are about the same in number
Eladrin
Halflings
Dwarfs
These 2 are about 1/3 in number of the "big three"
Humans
Elfs
Kobolds (rare)
those Dragon people (rare)
Half-elfs (very rare)
Orks (very rare, not a player race)
Eladrin, Dwarfs and Elfs tend not to live together, but with humans and halflings living with all 3. In such communities, the noble will be of the dominant race (so, eladrin, dwarf or elf). Of those 3, elf communities have the least amount of humans/halflings. Dwarfs live in the mountains, elfs in the forest, Eladrin in flying cities that migrate. Eladrin and dwarfs get along fine (live apart more due to where they like to live). Eladrin and elves not so much... Eladrin are "magic rivendel elves", elves are "forest, mirkwood elves". They are the same race, they just have different lifestyles/values. Half-elf have characteristics of both elves/eladrin and humans, but are their own race - they aren't the result of interbreeding, though they might once have been. There are also a few cities that are truly multicultural, one of which the PCs comes from.
Incidentally, another thing about this campaign is the characters start off as mid-teen level 3.5 characters. We won't actually play as such, but I want the beginning characters crafted as it they had been rolled over to the new edition, but starting at zero. It doesn't make sense now, but it will. 8)
This world has a pantheon of 4 gods:
Father - dwarf - fire - justice, construction, war (lawful good)
Mother - Elf/Eladrin - earth - growth, health, prosperity (neutral good)
Daughter - halfling - water - the arts, curiousity, change (chaotic> good)
Son - human - air - magic, chance, trickery (neutral - which neutral depends on what facet of his personality is involved)
World 2 (from most to least common)
Humans
Kobolds
Dragon peoples
Halflings
Eladrin
Dwarfs
Gnomes (very rare)
Half-elfs (very rare)
Most nobles are human or dragon-kin
This world has a crazy pantheon of goods, representing a more balanced view of emotions/values - so include evil gods as well.
Posted by Savin at 6:37 AM 0 comments
Looking for ale, a fight and a discussion of magic. Oh and a servant, instant campground and fancier clothes. Oh and everclean ritual, sparkling water and bag of holding. Oh, and...
Posted by Voss at 9:51 AM 0 comments
I heard there was a nice frothy mug o ale waiting for me here.
Posted by Baern at 10:01 PM 0 comments