Arcadia, A land ruled be elves.

Arcadia is the shard of the elves. Roughly the size of Madagascar or France. It is ruled completely by the two elven cities... Everbright, and Utterdark. Unlike most shards, Arcadia is disk shaped, and both sides are completely inhabitable.  Most non-elves consider it a myth.

Everbright lies at the center of a large mountain on one side, while on the opposite side, directly underneath, in a deep bowl shaped vally, lies Utterdark. A magical sheild around the shard keeps the Utterdark side in perpetual night, and the Everbright side is always well lit. There are many magical gates, tunnels, and shafts between the two sides, and travel between them is frequent and common.

The landscape on both sides shows a great deal of care and cultivation... the forests, hills, mountains, lakes, and rivers all have a sculptured look about them. Magical efects are common, singing trees, fireflies that form pictures in the air, rivers with wondrous beverages instead of water, grass that forms comfortable chairs when you stoop to sit, these are simply part of the land itself.

The twin cities of Everbright and Utterdark are inhabitted by elves. Not the light and fancy elves of wonder from Tolkien, but something a bit more sinister. 

An Illithid tale.

"And he walked away, slowly shaking his head."

"Good story old man, I liked the man who was not from Gotham the best." A single coin flashed through the air, before vanishing somewhere near the old man's nimble hand. "Do ya know any stories 'bout them bastard Illithids and their mind tricks?"

"of course I do, warrior. I wouldn't be able to sit by this warm and wondrous fire and get old Spider to give me free drinks if I only knew one or two stories, now would I? Speaking of free drinks... Ahem, speaking of free drinks..."

"Heard you the first time, Dugan. Hold your belly, one's coming up." The tavern owner sat with his chair in a corner, the spider tattoo on his cheek dueling with the glow from the fire. He turned to speak as the tavern girl handed a great leather jack to the old man in the favored seat. "what do you know about Illithids, Dugan, were you around when they ruled Megalos?"

" Ah... thank you lass, thank you. Was I around when the ‘Lithids ruled? No, of course not." The old man took a sip, settled back into his chair, scratched the end of his nose and waited for silence. It didn't take long "They were long since driven from the shard when my father was a child, and he sired me at the ripe old age of seventy-two. Remarkable man, my pa, remarkable.

"So anyway, if you want another story about the Mindtwisters, then I suppose I must oblige you, empty pockets or not. 

Who did you say was paying for my tale then?" The little bowl that the old man had put out was quickly passed around. Dugan's eyes gleamed as it came back, but he did manage to act disappointed that the bowl wasn't quite full. 

He shifted in his seat again, working the chair from side to side, until he was satisfied that it was in the absolutely warmest, most comfortable position possible. Once he was absolutely sure that he had irritated Spider as much as he safely could, he began.

known shards

Known Shards

The shard of Megalos has had little dealings with other shards until relatively recently... thanks for the most part to the goblin explorer Vespucio... Who travelled off the shard in a very odd and dangerous craft known as a wind ship. Vespucio returned years later with a small fleet of ships, carrying thousands of marvels and wonders from dozens of shards... Since then trade routes have been established with several of the new found shards. Explorations continue constantly, mostly funded by both the Order of St Thomas, and House Ariadne (the spell weavers). The following is a list of those shards now known to the people of Megalos.

Tejas
Tejas shard is the best known of the other shards, populated mainly by giants (Tejans), with a large goblin population as well. This shard is primarily grasslands and sagebrush desert. The Primary economy is the raising of dragons; not the intelligent kind of course, but rather the brainless Dragon cows (brontosaurus like) and Dragon bulls (a much smaller, winged version, something like a Wyvern). Tejas is also famous for its powerstone mines... The biggest and best stones in the shards come from Tejas. Heck, If you ask a Tejan, the biggest and best of everything comes from Tejas!
The average Tejan stands eight foot, nine inches tall, and tends to dress in dragon leather clothes, with large shade hats. Their most common personal weapons are hand held crossbows, short, heavy scimitars they call Bowies, and lariats. Tejans are famous far and wide for their love of brawling.

The first adventure, part four

The soldiers, still diminutive, have camped under gravel boulders at the edge between the rose bushes and the gravel path. The weretiger scouts this path, knowing it will take hours to cross. He can see off in the distance an evergreen tree, which looks like many of the smaller branches have been woven into windows and walls. The tiger also sees and smells the house cat.

This is a beast far larger than anything they have yet faced at their current size. To them it is larger than a cathedral. The entire group could hide unnoticed on its shoulder blades. The massive cat is watching the activity inside the tree with interest, its clear this is something it does often.

The were tiger avoids the cat, and rejoins the soldiers, and all are relieved when the cat leaves,  miles crossed with every step. While out the tiger hunts and catches several pill bugs, and after eating his fill, brings the rest back to the soldiers to cook.  The Jaegermonster enjoys wearing the hard chitin of the insects as shoulder guards and knee pads. The rest of the night goes uneventfully.

The next morning the soldiers cross the path. heading directly for the tree. As they approach they see that one of the lower branches has been pulled to the ground by a clever system of ropes, It is raised as they approach. Once it is close enough for the people of the tree to see that the group are solders, and a Michaelite knight is among them, the branch is lowered, and halflings, gnomes, and a few other sylvans come running out to greet them.

The group is led into the tree, a much more prosperous community than the people under the step. The soldiers are well fed, and allowed to stay the night in comfortable rooms. Talking to the halfling leader, they learn of the roof people (feral goblins) mud people (orcs), people of the rosebush (elves and fauns) the fence people(dwarves),  and the people of the loam (centaurs).

Taken high into the tree, they get a good view of the fountain, three tiered, a two foot retaining wall, a five foot  high middle fountain, and a twenty foot tall central fountain. A single foot at their relative height is about ten stories. the fountain is broken on one end, and pouring water into a vast muddy field. They also clearly see Koi in the fountain.

The people of the tree beg them to help against the cat, and the Michaelite promises to do so after they have made it to the fountain. He explains they go to find the source of their predicament. The hafling then tells them that many have done so before, and never returned.

 The next day, they leave the tree, crossing another path to make it to the fountain, a single days journey.

However about halfway across the path, the Gryphon dives to the ground, refusing to fly. Looking up, The soldiers spot crows circling overhead. progress slows to a crawl, as the group stays under cover, and tries to out wait the predators above. The Golem is particularly concerned, as it is pointed out that he would certainly survive being eaten by a bird, but would not enjoy the experience.


The finally make it to the great wall of the fountain and decide to camp their before continuing

As the Golem keeps watch, not needing sleep, the Jaegermonster wakes up from a sound sleep with a very peculiar notion. For some unknown reason, it seems like a very good idea for him to attack and destroy the stone Golem.

So as the Golem watches mildly curious, The Jaegermonster steps in front of the Golem, gathers his strength using a the techniques taught to him from martial past, and calmly  strikes the Golem as hard as he can. For the first time in years, the Golem's stone skin is chipped, and he is damaged.

The Golem stands there staring in disbelief for a second, as the Jaegermonster gathers his strength for a second blow, then bellows and knocks him across the camp. At this point the rest of the soldiers wake, and attempt to intervene in the brawl between them, as well as finding out what is going on.

Much more fighting continues as the Jaegermonster realizes he's been mind controlled, and dodges much of the Golem attack as he attempts to explain.

It's obvious that the Illithid, the original source of their quest is nearby. As the Jaegermonster shakes the mind-twisting from his head, the rest of the group breaks camp and prepares. Dawn is coming soon, when the Shield covering the shard starts to lighten.

The first adventure part three.

The soldiers (still shrunk to the size of small insects) are attempting to make it from the stable door, to the fountain. They realize it will take several days. Quick scouting on the Gryphon riders part reveals that cutting through the rose bushes would shave at least three days from the journey. So that is what they choose to do.

As they approach the bushes, they see that humanoid skulls have been placed on posts in a pattern around their path. Clear warning to stay away. Once they navigate through the tangles, they emerge into a beautiful forest like grove, where the bushes have created a canopy that stretches above as far as the eye can see, and the thin lichen  patina on the ground is soft and lovely.

It doesn't take long to discover that this ground cover is riddles with trap door spiders, the relative size of gypsy wagons. The golem and the Michaelite are both attacked. The Michaelite narrowly avoids getting snatched, while the golem is dragged down into the trap door spider lair in the blink of an eye,   after a few seconds, the inedible walking stonework is spat back out by a confused arachnoid.

As the group looks out over the rose forest floor, they realize there are dozens of these spiders, making the entire place a minefield. After a short discussion they climb into the branches of the rose bushes themselves.

The Golem realizes that the he does not climb well, nor is he altogether sure the vines would support him, and decides to walk below, with the Gryphon rider flitting between to keep the soldiers aware of each other. Once in a while, the Golem deals with yet another trap door spider, but it seems that attacks are less frequent. perhaps they can see each other?


Once in the branches, the rest soon begin making good progress, but are attacked by random arrows, shot from hiding. After several such attacks, the Michaelite casts a spell, "reverse missiles" and successfully strikes the one who fired the arrow.

Soon after that, The Jaegermonster concentrates, ignoring the arrows flying by him, trusting his amazing healing powers, and suddenly LEAPS across a huge gap onto a vine where the arrows are coming through, crashing through a screen of leaves, and surprises the Fauns who are shooting at them.

The Fauns are shocked by this, and run, using ropes they had prepared, they tarzan away, making it impossible to follow. The Golem, still on the canopy floor, watches as five of these satyrs escape, clearing hundreds of yards, and taking their ropes with them.

No further incidents occur, and the soldiers make it through the rose bushes, onto the edge of the gravel path.

It is here they set up camp, preparing to cross the open miles of loose boulders in the morning.

The first adventure, part two

The soldiers of Megalos regroup, and discuss briefly that they have been shrunk down to the size of ants. As they have now gathered close to the door leading to the stables, they pick that as a direction to go. It takes a few hours to make it to the frame. They notice large rats the (relative to the soldiers) size of rhinoceros moving beneath the floorboards, but the soldiers seem safe enough where they are.

On the way there, the gryphon rider spots humans (on the same diminutive scale as the soldiers) watching them from the doorframe. They have carved out hidden watch posts, ladders, and sentry towers into this frame, something that the Gryphon rider relays to the rest as they approach.

They parlay peacefully with the ragged watchers, who mention most people are killed by the goblins, and rarely make it out alive. Once the soldiers agree to hand over their weapons (mostly with amusement, as half the group don't use any) The humans lead them to their home. They explain that they are lead by the Mayor, and call themselves the people under the step.

They meet the mayor, who informs them that the goblins tend to get most of the good stuff, killing all visitors, and generally prevent  the step people from finding food or leaving. The people under the step sometimes sneak to the rasberry bushes for food, and use the plentiful replenishing hay from the stables for fuel and building materials. The Mayor also mentions that people have been in this shrunken state for generations.

They mention the haypeople are dangerous, and that in the stables lives a witch who knows a great deal. They spend the night with the people under the stairs.

The soldiers decide to visit the witch. While traveling through the tangles of hay, carefully picking their way through the vast mounds of the stuff, they manage to avoid a garden snake the size ( to them) of a dragon.

After that, the trip to the witch is relatively easy. They find a rat hole in the witches stall, flanked on both sides by poles holding rat skulls, bleached white, and painted with crude and primitive nonsense runes. They journey inside, and are treated to an illusionary light show by the unseen witch, who asks them basically what they want.

The Michaelite explains they want to know how to escape this spell. The witch agrees only if the soldiers leave the contents of their backpacks behind.  Some argument occurs among the players about this, but eventually two of the players agree to do so, and the witch tells them what she knows.

She explains that the fields effects center on the fountain, so something in the fountain must be causing it. She also has cast many auguries, and has learned that the object in the fountain is one of the thirty. It is being guarded by the mud people. She also explains that the rose bushes are dangerous, very dangerous, and it is better to go around than through them.

The soldiers leave, making it to the stables outside door before camping for the night. At this point the weretiger becomes very aware (by scent) that a house cat (as big to them as a cathedral) is out there, and patrols the grounds. He also scents ferrets.

The people and places of Virgin's Square

What those who have lived in Megalos would know:

Located near the Spider Net docks, just a couple blocks into the city is a great courtyard with a central statue. The story goes that one time a True Dragon came to the city, which had another name then, and demanded Gold and Meat and Virgins (hence the name) or it would lay waste to the town. It devastated the army when they attacked it, but eventually, the army prevailed and slew the dragon.

But it was a true dragon, and was reborn in the egg of one of the unintelligent dragon cows, somewhere else on the shard, and used its vast magical knowledge to grow to full size and strength very quickly. Five years after it was slain, The dragon returned. It devastated the town in revenge, and demanded far more tribute than before. For many years, the city paid the dragons tribute, and suffered greatly.

Then one day, a knight of the realm, Augustus Megalos, and His brother Erin hatched a plan. He engaged the dragon in a duel, preventing the dragon from escaping while Erin and several mages created a spell that locked them both in a time bubble. And there they are, still to this day, battling each other.

The people were so moved by his sacrifice, that they made his brother the first Emperor, which proved to be a wise decision.

Now the Empire of Megalos stretches across the shard, and has absorbed hundreds of towns and villages under its protection.
The people and places of Virgin's Square

The first adventure, part one

Using a magic compass, brought by the Githyanki, which enables her to track the Illithid, The group leaves the great city of Megalos, and head north, into the salt marshes.

After a day of travel, the compass directs them to a wayside shrine, set up in honor of St Olybrious the goblin.

These things are scattered all over Megalos. A place to rest for an hour or two, feed the riding beasts, wander the garden, drink from the fountain, and take shelter from a storm. They are all pretty much the same, a nice garden, a fountain, a stable, and a building with a table, a fireplace, and a few cots. if you've seen one, you've seen them all. Cheap magical constructions that a team can create and deploy in a couple days of work. Dozens are on every major road.

The compass says the Illithid is inside, but no movement can be discerned by the Gryphon Rider. The entire group sneaks closer to the Shrine. The Golem simply stops and waits farther back (Sneaking.... is not part of his skill set).

The Weretiger changes to his four legged form, and scouts, He sees nothing unusual,  a few Koi in the fountain, an owl, possibly a cat somewhere nearby. No sign of Illithids. Nothing.

As it is getting dark, the group enters the Shrine, expecting at any moment to be sprung upon. The Michaelite has a sense danger spell up, and something keeps triggering it. As trained soldiers, they believe they can handle whatever trap is attempted, and decide to make themselves the bait. They enter the wayside house,  Start a fire, prepare a meal, and wait. The Gryphon rider is in the stables with her mount. The Firemage and the Jaegermonster are at the fireplace, The Golem stands beside the table, and The Michaelite and Githyanki are seated.

Discussion among them is that the compass must be detecting a dimensional gate, or perhaps there is an underground passage here.

Its here. Right here. That the trap is sprung. Suddenly the Gryphon freaks out, and the Rider jumps upon his back as the stable begins to grow larger, quickly.

Not larger, it's the Gryphon and rider both growing smaller, shrinking faster and faster, from maiden sized, to child, from child to toddler, to kobold, to doll sized to insect sized.... in seconds, the Gryphon rider is the size of a flying ant.

The rest of the group shrinks as well, very quickly achieving the same tiny stature. The Michaelite finds himself sitting on a wooden floor a hundred (equivalent) yards in every direction, The Githyanki is in the same predicament a mile away on the other side of the vast table. The others find themselves small enough to fall between the floorboards of the poorly constructed building, and have to leap to cross from one plank to another.

The Gryphon and rider try to find the rest of the group, swiftly flying back to the rest, a journey much longer than before. While the rest of the group attempt to rejoin each other. The Michaelite falls from his chair, his armor making his attempt to nimbly leap from seat to cross brace to floor a comical farce.  The Githyanki shows him how its done with style and stoic aplomb.

At this point the Gryphon rider spots the rest, but as she flies to them, she is attacked! Goblins, dozens of them, of the same equivalent tiny size, have ambushed from the rafters and are attempting to hit her with nets, arrows and stones.

The rest of the group can see the attack, but are far too far away to help.They rush from their scattered locations to aid one of their own.

The goblins have failed to net the Gryphon Rider, who easily flies out of their range. So they drop ropes and begin to descend to the floor in an attempt to fight the rest of the group. This turns out to be a costly mistake for them.

Long before the goblins get to the ground, the Golem makes it to the bottom of the rope, and grabbing one in each hand, proceeds to snap the whip. The Gryphon spins back in flight, Her talons slicing through the ropes with ease. The Jaegermonster makes it to the descending goblins as well, and spears a few.  Not to mention the Firemages attack, the sudden weretiger in their midsts, and a fully armored knight. The remaining goblins retreat back up the ropes they came from.

Riding Animals

Riding animals
Across the shard of Megalos, there are many different types of riding animals, horses are far and above the most common of these, but across the cultures there are quite a few other creatures for getting from here to there.

Horses
The most common riding beast, horses play a major role in the fabric of Megalos society. Not only are there the basic types of horses described in the basic book, but also a few rare breeds can be found; from the Butter ponies of the Halflings, to the Claymore horses of house Piradost.


Butter ponies: These are small, stout ponies raised by Halflings, and preferred by them over all other mounts. They are quite strong for their small size, and almost tireless. Speed is not a strong trait among them, but intelligence is. they tend to be a yellow white in color, hence their name.

Amcathra pepper horses: Noted for their spotted coloring and spirited disposition, pepper horses have a good reputation as light war horses. The Amcathra Barony pride themselves on the loyalty of their horses, and tell many stories of one of them saving the day for their masters. The strongest trait of these horses tends to be agility.

Ilzimmer Quicks: Famous for their speed, the house Ilzimmer has been breeding and racing horses for centuries. An Ilzimmer tends to be of solid colors, with patches of red and yellow. It is easy to find lesser breeds that resemble an Ilzimmer, until a race settles matters. Many of the other houses have paid large prices for breeding rights with an Ilzimmer.

Jhansczil darks: The Orcs rarely contribute much to the culture of the Megalos shard, but nevertheless, they are grudgingly admired for their breeding techniques with spiders, boars, Tugoliths, and horses. The dark horses of the Jhansczil tribe are exceptionally strong and tireless horses, famous for their ability to take incredible amounts of damage and still endure. The are also noted for several annoying traits... stubborn and bad tempered being common.

Piradost Claymores: These horses are quite simply, huge. Big enough for a Tejas giant to ride, the Claymores make incredible heavy war horses. The duke of house Piradost is very proud of his horses, and always makes a point of buying any offspring of a Claymore back from whoever he sold the horse to. The Knights prefer Claymores over any other, feeling it a matter of honor not to ride an orc bred mount. Jhansczil Darks are as good as Claymores, ask any orc.   

Others Mounts

 Besides horses, there are Camels, Mules, Bison, Griffins, Hippogriffs, Impenya, Boars, Tanngrisner, Tugoliths, and Swiftrunners.

Griffins and Hippogriffs: These are bred by Houses Belabranta, Gundwynd, and Ilvastarr... These nobles work together a great deal to build up the relatively small stock of griffins in Megalos. All Griffins become mounts for the Aerial Knights of Megalos, they cannot be purchased. Hippogriffs tend to become the mounts of kings and high nobles, as they can be trained to more than one rider. Once a griffin has been impressed, they cannot be ridden by any other and adults cannot be trained at all, so the emperor will pay high prices for unhatched wild griffin eggs.

Boars: The great Boars are the near exclusive steeds of the Orcs, few other races would even want to ride one. These creatures are vile, smelly, bad tempered, disgusting and very unsociable, so naturally orcs dearly love them. They are dense creatures, with a lot of muscle in their barrel body frame and therefore make excellent work animals. They are also not particularly afraid of anything, and nasty when angry, so boars make good war steeds.

Tugoliths: These creatures look and act very much like omnivorous rhinoceroses. They are very strong, thick skinned, and hard working. They are also able to talk and carry on a conversation. Tugoliths don't seem to mind being beasts of burden at all, as long as you feed them, but they are not very bright. If you really want to ride a Tugolith, you will have a true powerhouse as a steed... you will also have to answer stupid questions, deal with bruised egos, and feed a bottomless pit. The biggest problem with a Tugolith, is it's tendency to eat anything it can... such as small dogs that stray too close, and people who mistreat them. Goblins and Orcs breed Tugoliths extensively. Tanngrisner:  Goat like creatures raised by the northern mountain tribes and cold races. They are wonderful mounts for difficult terrain, so surefooted it is said they could walk along a line drawn onto a sheer vertical wall. They are small, but carry great weights, and they can survive in truly brutal conditions, apparently able to regenerate damage to some extent. A Tanner (for short) can travel hard for several days straight. It's a pity they despise hot weather, or they would be common across the shard as pack animals. If a dwarf has to climb onto the back of something... rather than ride in a sensible cart... A Tanner would do.

Impenyia: This beautiful animal is the principal riding beast of the elves, It resembles a great deer with antlers and split hooves with opposable thumbs. The hide of an Impenyia can change coloration, much like a chameleon, and coupled with its stillness when not moving, allows an Impenyia to remain very well hidden in certain types of terrain. Also the Impenyia is very swift and agile, allowing it to turn in place, climb and leap with hardly any effort. This makes an Impenyia prized as an agile light war beast. Only the elves have ever been able to successfully breed Impenyia, and they keep their knowledge very secret. One cannot simply buy an Impenyia, they must be befriended. The word Impenyia means many things in elvish... "Swiftly turning", "hidden welcome", and "laughing friend" are all close approximations to elvish meanings... think of a child hiding and yelling "boo!". It requires a high degree of skill to ride one.

Swiftrunners: These are large flightless birds, much like ostriches, that are trained and domesticated by goblins. Goblins like them because they make excellent riding beasts, taste good, can be used for leather, the feathers plucked and sold, the beaks and bones used in crafts, etc... Nothing of a Swiftrunner is wasted, and most of it is profitable. Swiftrunners have viscous kicks in combat, and goblins make great use of that, tying nasty combat spurs on before battle. only the lightest and smallest of goblins can ride them in a fight however... goblins use Tugoliths to pull heavier loads.

Domesticated animals

Domesticated Animals Cats, Dogs, Horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, and goats are common. In addition, there are several unusual farm animals on Megalos. giant spiders, Milkfish, OrcBeetles, dragons, and butterbees are all raised as a part of village life. Cows surprisingly, are not found anywhere on the shard. Dragons There are three types of dragons, The great dragon cows, female, flightless, massive, ponderous, and slow. grass eaters. Then there are the dragon bulls, Male, winged, meat eating, smaller, but far more agressive, with the ability to breath fire, and protective of their herd of mates.Then there is the intelligent, neuter True Dragons, each unique in form, color, and temperament, hatched from Dragon Cows, who have the mystical ability to reincarnate with full memories intact. This is what makes them so deadly, so wise, and so ancient. They literally learn from their mistakes, even fatal ones. There are a limited number of true Dragons. When they die, they are reborn in the egg clutch of a non intelligent dragon cow, from their first day out of the egg, they have all their knowledge and skills. So in a sense, there is currently no such thing as a young intelligent dragon. Spiders: spiders tend to be about the size of a cat... they are fairly clever as farm animals go, and both loyal and freindly. They make good pets. However, the principal use of these spiders derive from their silk. The common farm spider is a wolf spider, hunting mice and small rodents as a cat does, as well as feeding on grains and waste meat byproducts. They do not make webs. Instead the silk is milked out of them using a simple device similar to an oven baster. This sticky mass can then be spun into a fine silk that is used for all types of woven materials... Silk is a major export of Megalos to other shards. These spiders are large enough to be dangerous to chickens, but not much larger than that. There are however much larger spiders, most of which are undomesticated... with the exception of the collossal Harbor spiders, magically controlled to act as living tugboats. Milkfish: These are freshwater fish, similar to trout. They are quite comfortable living in small wire cages left under moving water such as a stream bed, and most farms keep several Milkfish in just such a device. They can be pulled out of the water, and stroked to release a white secretion similar in consistency to milk. this "milk" is sweet and tasty, and a popular and healthy beverage that keeps for weeks. Butterbees: These insects live very much like honeybees, preferring to live in honeycombed hives. But instead of honey, they produce a substance that is incredibly similar to butter, and can be used to make cheeses, cream, and other substances similar to milk byproducts. Butterbees do not sting, they bite, and can be quite painful. Natural hives are shaped much like clumps of yellow grapes, and butterbees prefer cool wet places to nest, such as river banks. Orcbeetles: Originally raised by Orcs, these sheep sized beetlelike creatures are now common meat animals. They taste quite good, similar to baked ham, with almonds. Not really much like beetles in physiology, although they greatly resemble them. Their shells are hard, and once the beetle dies, they become very brittle. Usually the shells are ground up for use as compost and fertilizer. Orcbeetles are grazing animals, and easy to take care of. Nobody ever accused an orcbeatle of being intelligent. 

Shattered world history

The Shattered World Overview: A thousand years ago, the world of earth was a very different place. There were many races, Elves, Dwarves and Dragons, and many others. The races acted much as they do now . . . there were wars, and times of peace, great discoveries and great betrayals. The land was bordered by vast oceans and a ball of fire bigger than the largest shard lit the sky. So bright that a being could be blinded by looking at it. Then the Elves conceived of a plan. The Orcs and Kobolds were considered vermin by many Elvish people, and they wanted to be rid or these races. So it was that they began to craft a spell that would whisk up these unwanted creatures and send them . . . someplace else. This spell was to be the masterpiece of the elvan race, a force greater than the sum of its parts, a spell that would endure forever. The Elves became obsessed with it's creation. It was a seething storm of magic . . . The Banestorm.

The Order of St Michael (Michaelites)

The order of St. Michael. This religious sect has taken on a decidedly practical role in the Megalos empire. Think of them as the medieval equivalent of the FBI. Throw in a bit of Judge Dread, and a lot of religious fervor, and you have the basic idea. In uniform, a Michaelite wears chain or plate mail with a white cloth tunic covering. The tunic is emblazoned with a red cross, and a flaming sword over the heart. On official business, a Michaelite may wear a blazon of a red cross on a white background, with a flaming sword in the upper right quadrant. The most common weapon employed by a Michaelite is the rapier, and highly advanced training techniques are available to Michaelites, so that Michaelites sword masters can be found. However, an individual Michaelite may practice and use any type of weapon he wishes. Michaelites have one magical item issued to them. Each and every Michaelite is given a ring. This ring allows a member of the order to communicate with other members by simply speaking into the ring. The ring must be "conditioned" to allow this communication, and the effectiveness fades rapidly with distance. The range of the ring is limited to only a few miles. The second power is a clever use of what once was considered a magical flaw. The wearer of the ring can be easily located by magical means. It acts as a beacon to anyone attempting to sense the Michaelite with a scrying device. It is very common for Michaelites who come into wealth to enchant their rings further. It is also common to pass these highly enchanted rings down to younger members of the order, as the older members retire or pass away. Only humans are accepted as Michaelites, a prejudice that has long standing roots in tradition. Membership is by invitation only, followed by extensive testing of character and ability before full acceptance. Honesty, integrity, courage, and martial skill are highly regarded. The city of Megalos, and those trained within the city of Megalos, are not as well disciplined as those trained in other places. The Michaelites of Megalos City have a reputation for being far more corruptible, perhaps undeserved, than the wandering Michaelites. Saint Michael refers to the Archangel Michael, Keeper of the sword of Justice, Guardian of Eden. He is their patron saint, and prayers are always addressed to him. Artwork commissioned by the order usually depicts him as a great angel with red hair, no beard, and a flaming sword. The order is charged with the meeting out of justice, at home and abroad. They act as police, judge, and jury. A member of the order may witness a crime being carried out, capture the alleged criminal, pass sentence, and carry out that sentence immediately. Nothing more than the word of a Michaelite is needed to put a man in jail for life. Should a man disagree with a Michaelites sentence, his relatives or friends may seek out another Michaelite to hear his plea. This is risky, however, since if the second Michaelite agrees with the first, he may add to the imposed sentence for wasting his time. The nobility is treated slightly differently by Michaelites. All Nobility have the right to trial. This trial is overseen by three Michaelites. One being the Michaelite who brought charges, one being chosen by the accused noble, and one agreed upon by the other two Michaelites. The rules of Noble Trial are elaborate, and highly favor nobility. It takes an incredible amount of evidence to convict a noble. Slaves and those of low birth (beggars, prostitutes other than courtesans, servants of commoners etc...) Do not have the right to request Michaelite justice. Many Michaelites may grant it anyway, but these folk can be mistreated by those of higher social status without being able to cry for aid. The laws and punishments are fairly simple. The punishments often fit the crime, and there are no set precedents. COMMON LAW For murder, the criminal is generally put to death, of sent to a penal camp for life. (penal camps being things like working in salt mines, galley slaves or other back breaking labor where life expectancy can be measured in months.) Extenuating circumstances may reduce this to a lesser penalty. For Assault less than murder (rape, beating, mugging, etc...) the criminal can be crippled of maimed, sold into slavery, or both. Repeat offenses or extreme cruelty can allow the Michaelite to impose greater penalties. Extenuating circumstances can also allow lesser penalties. Crippling and maiming generally refer to breaking a knee or a hand beyond repair, to prevent the criminal from being capable of committing the crime again. For theft the criminal is crippled, generally by the loss of a hand (or eye, in the case of forgery), sold into slavery, or expected to make restitution of two to three times the value of the stolen item. A simple beating often suffices for minor thefts. Other crimes are treated on an individual basis. punishments meted out by a Michaelite have included, restitution, branding, public service, hanging, banishment, enslavement, public apologies, and just about any thing under the shield. GAME TERMS To be a Michaelite is a 31 point advantage. This encompasses: -Police powers at the 15 point level. -Patron, The order of St. Michael: 20 points -Status level equal to 3rd level: 15 points -Michaelite ring: 1 point -Hazardous Duty: -20 points 

Player Roster

The entire group works essentially as irregular soldiers for the Emperor of Megalos

Nate is playing a Michaelite, (think Judge Dread in plate mail. He is "The Law", well, for non-nobility, anyway) As a Noble Knight, his rank makes him the leader of the group... He has some magic, and weapon skills, fairly well rounded. He wears the robes of the Order of Saint Michael and has the Michaelite ring, sword, and broach.

James is playing a fully sapient and free willed Golem. A stone construct, that everyone thinks is owned by the Michaelite. Everyone is wrong.

Bedtime story.

"A thousand years ago, the world of earth was a very different place, small one. There were many races, Elves and Dwarves and Dragons, and many others. The races acted much as they do now... there were wars, and times of peace, great discoveries and great betrayals. The land was bordered by vast oceans and a ball of fire bigger than the largest shard lit the sky. So bright that a being could be blinded by looking at it."  

"The Sun, Grandpapa?"  

"Yes."  

 

"There's no such thing."  

First post, explaining the plan

This website will chronicle, as best I can, the adventures of my gaming group. The mechanics are based on GURPS. Initial setting is Megalos, a GURPS worldbook with a heavy dark age, fantasy vibe where the empire and the church dominate all politics. I've modified everything to fit my own preferences, taking bits and pieces from every game system I've ever come across and making it part of my own world.

I've been running games in this setting for over thirty years. Generally once a week, for around four hours a session. Players have come and gone over the years, and if you've ever gamed with me before, I'd love to hear from you again. I think I've gamed with over a hundred people now.

I will post both in game tales, and out of game asides (for game mechanics, general commentary, and the occasional explanation.)