tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87572341429966606052024-03-13T06:19:25.830-07:00Shattered WorldWhere upon can be found a log of the adventures of the Shard of Megalos,in the great cloud of the Shattered World.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-66821960038520910182011-04-14T10:21:00.000-07:002011-04-14T13:05:36.003-07:00The first adventure, part six<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The soldiers surveil the situation at the top of the outer fountain. They are still shrunk to the size of small insects, have traveled for days to get from the way station, the people under the step, the haypeople, the rose bushes, the people of the tree, and the mudpeople, while fighting a running battle from a mindflayer attacking their minds again and again.<br />
<br />
The Weretiger is particularly upset about the fact that they are at least ten stories above the height of the fountains vast sea, miles away by Koi infested waters to the middle fountain, then yet another long climb to the actual center fountain. They camp.<br />
<br />
The Gryphon rider scouts ahead, and finds that the central fountain has no water.. flying closer she spies the water is going directly through a hole in this fountains basin, a magically created hole exactly as large as the waterfalls output. Behind this vast waterfall, the Gryphon Rider spots a tower, made by a mage, as well as a large garden,<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<br />
On the way back she spots below the soldiers camp, that the Mud people have gathered large leaves, and rather cleverly stitched them together into boats, that they are using to catch tadpoles and mosquito larvae. She reports all of this to the soldiers, and they have very little trouble haggling with an Orc to get a boat. Soon they row to the central fountain, the Golem doing the brunt of the work.<br />
<br />
During all of this, the Mindflayer has not been attacking. A relief that no one has questioned.<br />
<br />
As the soldiers near the middle fountain, they spot an opening in the magically sheer marble walls, creating a grotto easily large enough for their boat. Hidden from anyone searching by air, but visible at eye level. They head for that.<br />
<br />
Once inside, they find a perfectly sized dock, and a small fully rigged sailing ship. They also discover a narrow staircase rising as far as they can see. It most certainly must head to the wizards tower that the Gryphon rider spotted.<br />
<br />
The Gryphon wants nothing to do with the confined staircase, her rider remains behind as the rest of the soldiers climb, She will wait, and then meet them above. It turns out that not only does the staircase reach the tower, but it continues on all the way to the top of the central fountain. the group decides to explore the tower later, and continue to head towards the source.<br />
<br />
As they climb, the Illithid makes its deadliest attack yet. The firemage decides it would be wonderful to spray the entire party with a jet of flame. This is devastating. Both the Michaelite knight and the Jaegermonster orc go down from this attack, but the Githyanki is relatively unharmed, and the weretiger is untouched. The stairs are too narrow for the Githyanki to attack back... However the golem is behind the firemage, and proceeds to restrain her before she can build her fireball large enough to launch it.<br />
<br />
As the rest of the group deals with this attack, the weretiger bounds ahead, hoping to find and destroy this damned monster before it can attack again. The weretiger erupts from the top of the stairs, and spies in the water of the central fountain a dark shape that can only be the Ilithid... He also succumbs instantly to its mind control, and now waits to attack the rest as they emerge.<br />
<br />
However once the rest had shaken (literally) the effects of mind control from the fire mage, It was decided that the Golem would go first with the others remaining in touch range of the (immune from mind effects) Githyanki.<br />
<br />
The Tiger attacks in a furious series of claw strikes against the Golem, making deep scratches and chips, but doing little real harm. and the rest of the group spot and launch their own attacks against the Illithid. The battle is epic, with the killing blow delivered by the Gryphons power dive at near terminal velocity, doing a great deal of damage to the Gryphon and rider as well.<br />
<br />
The Fire mage heals the rest of the group as they discover the source of their shrinkage. A coin, in the fountain, at their size its much larger than a barn door, and almost as thick as they are tall. It is fully embedded in the mud, with a symbol of a stylized fish etched into the face.<br />
<br />
Thinking that perhaps they can turn off the power by flipping it over, the entire group, using magic, rope and tackle, and the backs of the golem and the gryphon, manage with a great deal of effort to flip it over in the mud and silt.<br />
<br />
Nothing at all changes.<br />
<br />
So they go down to the tower they had passed, and explore it... Turns out just recently it had been inhabited by a mage, also trapped by the shrinking, who surmised the source of the power, traveled to the fountain, created the tower and has spent the last several years trying to puzzle out how it works. He had discovered two ways actually, one would cause all the effects to vanish instantly, returning everyone shrunken, as well as their offspring and possessions back to normal size instantly, And as a more selective spell turning each person back to normal size one at a time, with a casting each time. The energy required for both of these spells is enormous.<br />
<br />
He was puzzling out how to go about doing this, when the Illithid sank into his fountain, and was shrunken. It quickly spotted his grotto, traveled up the stairs at the speed of levitation, and possessed him. The mage shook off the effects, and the Illithid was forced to slay him. However, not before learning all it needed to know from the mind of the mage.<br />
<br />
But the Illithid tried to return to normal size, it discovered it was not able to use magic itself... its powers are from a different source. It needed a mage to cast the spell to restore it. The Mindflayers plan was to use the firemage for this... but was not expecting the group to survive the attack, nor was it ready for the sheer onslaught that followed.<br />
<br />
So thats where the soldiers are now. Still shrunken, preparing to return to normal size.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-23608281655472405422011-04-05T18:50:00.000-07:002011-04-07T06:11:50.773-07:00Megalos church structureOn the shard of Megalos, the primary religion is a form of Catholicism. All other religions are barely tolerated at best. <br />
<br />
The Religion was transplanted via banestorm about 700 AD. When the pope was still in Constantinople, and many of the saints had yet to be canonized. It has developed mostly out of touch with the original religion ever since... with many beliefs and practices completely unlike the original version. The biggest and most obvious differences are the Megalos fact of magic, other races, and the shattered world itself. <br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Structure</span></b>: <br />
The highest rank in the Church hierarchy is that of Pope. He is always male, and human. He resides in a very small but well guarded town near the center of the Megalos empire known as Remula. The only citizens in Remula are church officials... even the street sweepers are monks. The pope has absolute power in religious affairs... His word is doctrine. <br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
The next rank is that of Archbishops, Patriarchs, or Cardinals (Each has about the same status, names are mostly colloquial versions, meaning roughly the same thing) . Each of these individuals leads a different order, as well as being the supreme religious guidance of a large city. In Megalos, for instance, the Archbishop is also the head of the Order of St Thomas.<br />
<br />
After Archbishops (etc.) follow bishops, each Archbishop has several Bishops as delegated authorities.. They run the affairs of the church in general. Also each Cathedral has a resident Bishop in charge of it.<br />
<br />
Then comes parish priests, who run their own individual churches, as well as Arch deacons and Mother superiors who run the monasteries. <br />
<br />
The lowest orders are Monks, Friars, and Deacons. Monks work within monasteries, Friars are wandering monks, and deacons are connected to individual churches, acting as helpers for the priest. <br />
<br />
<br />
Orders:<br />
<div><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Order of St Thomas</span></b> <br />
This is the magical branch of the church. Members tend to be magically active, and involved in the research of magic. Their primary focus is the gathering of knowledge and the research of suspected miracles. Also, Thomasites wage war on demons and necromantic magic. It is a high sin to resurrect a body, or even to tamper with the dead. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Thomasites are very unpopular with many mages, as a big part of their work is to remove all "sinful" magic and technology from the land.... Especially whatever heretical items a stranger or banestormer might possess. These are sequestured in their Cathedral, and studied. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Every now and then an innovation is deemed acceptable ("rock and roll" music was decreed tolerable, after a 1980's era banestormer from earth argued his case in front of the Pope. He was not, however, allowed to keep the "booming box")<br />
<br />
Thomasites have the vows of chastity, temperance, poverty, and piety, but do not have the vows of silence or of raiment.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Merciful Sisters of ST. Karroll</b> </span><br />
This female order is also magically active... trained primarily in healing magic. They also act as the teachers of Megalos. If you learned how to read, or had any formal schooling, chances are you learned it from a Karrollite nun. These nuns are also perhaps the least corruptible branch of the church. It's a standard stereotype to picture a Karrollite nun as tough as nails. Even hardened mercenaries think twice before back-talking a nun. </div><div><br />
</div><div>No woman or non-human can attain a rank higher than Bishop.</div><div>The Order of St Karroll has the vows of chastity, raiment, poverty, piety, and temperance. The vow of silence is common among cloistered nuns.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Order of St Michael</b></span> <br />
The enforcers of the Law. This order was founded many years ago to catch criminals who commited religious crimes and then fled from justice. At one time it was purely a church organization, but in the last eighty years, The Emporer of Megalos has had all Michaelites serving the empire directly. The order was released from most of its vows, and has turned secular.</div><div><br />
</div><div>A Michaelite was given the power to pursue a criminal anywhere in Megalos lands, and administer justice as he saw fit. Over time the order has grown more powerful, and now a Michaelite has the power to apprehend, sentence, and try an commoner right there on the spot. The only appeal to a Michaelites sentence is another Michaelite, or the high court (reserved for nobility). Michaelites stick with their own unless given absolute proof otherwise. They have the privilege of being the only warriors in Megalos permitted to use the foil, as a weapon. They also possess a powerful magic item, known as the Michaelite signet, which among other things allows them to communicate with others of their order. <br />
<br />
This order has the vows of Piety, but none of the other oaths apply. As a reminder of their roots, They take the oath of piety seriously.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>The Order of St Gabriel</b></span>. </div><div>This order was also introduced by The emperor, with the popes blessings, some eighty years ago. They act as messengers, couriers, singers, and bards. Their symbol is a trumpet. They act as the bearer of news and history, as well as religions entertainers. Many of the order have learned spells from the college of illusion or sound to aid in their duty. The order trains their members to be observant, and to improve their memory. </div><div><br />
</div><div>By Papal and Imperial decree it is illegal to refuse food and shelter to a Gabrialite, the traditional offering is cheese, bread, and a blanket on the floor of the kitchen. </div><div><br />
</div><div>They have the oaths of piety, poverty, pacifism, and raiment. but they are well known in many bawdy tales for not having the oath of chastity or temperance.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Followers of St Francis </span></b><br />
This is the largest order, yet least politically active. The Franciscans are dedicated to serving god through manual labor. They tend to create monasteries in the least habitable portions of the shard. They can be found almost anywhere. Friar Tuck was a Franciscan. </div><div><br />
</div><div>They have the vows or raiment, poverty, chastity, piety, pacifism, and many have vows of silence, they do not have the vow of temperance. <br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Society of Jesus</span></b> <br />
Jesuit priests are the most politically active of the orders, serving as representatives in the various courts and kingdoms. This order is also responsible for most of the missionaries of the shard. Their mission being to spread the word of god. A wandering friar is most likely a Jesuit. Soapbox sermons are common among this order. </div><div><br />
They have the vows of poverty, raiment, chastity, piety, and temperance. A big part of the society is the vow of Proselytation, unique to the Jesuits.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>The Huguenots</b></span> <br />
This is a very small force within the church... basically the beginnings of the protestant movement. It is not a separate order but rather individuals aghast at the corruption they see, and trying to reduce it secretly... all branched have a few huguenots among them. <br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Inquisition </span></b><br />
A branch devoted to "housecleaning"... that is, ferrying out unbelievers and heretics in their midst. This is the least tolerant of the sects, and no non-humans are among their members. Huguenots are a common target of their wrath, as are anyone who defies their order. The Inquisition and the knights Azrael often scratch each others back. <br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>The Order of St Olybrious </b></span><br />
This is the patron saint of goblins, and as such, leads the non-human orders of the church. Goblins, Halflings, and gargoyles are the most common members. "Civilized" Orcs, ogres and hobgoblins also prefer this order. The Elves and Dwarves have their own orders, much the same... but devoted strictly to their own races. Olybrious is popular among the rebellious and liberal… Active in attempting political reformation. Think of them as the medieval version of the ACLU </div><div><br />
</div><div>They have the vows of poverty, raiment, chastity, piety, and temperance</div><div><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Order of Azrael</span></b> </div><div>An order devoted to enlarging the coffers of the church, this is the shards version of a tax collector. They also investigate and punish charges of heresy, and blaspheme. This order is also heavily involved in the combat arts, and have recruited the largest and strongest of the faithful. It also tends to be the most corrupt of the branches. They recruit many mages into their fold. Non-humans are welcome in the order... especially the biggest and best in the warrior arts. Slavery is also administered and managed primarily by the Azraelites. Their heraldic emblem is a cross of blades. </div><div><br />
</div><div>They have the vow of Piety only, (and are known not to be particularly pious) </div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div>There are many lesser orders, that swear allegiance to one of these larger groups.<br />
<br />
example:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>The Order of Lazarus<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This is an (Ahem) dead order. A subset of the Order of St. Thomas. During the time of the Mindtwister's rule. The Megalos brothers were desperately trying to find a way to stop the Illithids. They begged the church to allow research into the forbidden magics, and the Order of Lazarus was the result. deeply Pious Necromancers who created many golems, undead warriors, and spirit soldiers in an attempt to create an army uncontrollable by mind magic. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">It almost worked, but the Illithids had forcefully created a human-elf race of highly magical beings called the Bales, and having captured a learned Lazarite, they pulled every necromantic scrap of knowledge from his mind, and trained these Bales in necromancy. The Lazarite army was decimated as the bales began forcefully to take over all of their undead and golem creations.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Most Lazarites were destroyed, but necromancy being what it is, there are many rumors that a chapter still resides in the cemetry of the great city of megalos. and the Lazarites there, while dead, are not remaining so.<br />
The Order of St Thomas works diligently to find all necromancer's and necromancy magic, and either destroy it, or sequestrate the practitioner as a Lazarite, if he is shown to be otherwise pious and good.</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-35705511052369141982011-04-05T18:48:00.000-07:002011-04-05T18:52:55.098-07:00The Knightly OrdersThese Orders cater to the sons of nobility, providing training in the arts of warfare, and chivalry in general. There are a few women among them, mostly Caithness and the non-human knights. It is considered a badge of status to be a knight.<br />
<br />
The lance, crossbow, broadsword, chain mail, plate mail, and morningstar are all considered weapons only for those with noble blood. It is not at all uncommon for members of the church, to leave their vows to become knights. Most of these knights are sponsored by the church, but are not considered priests, and do not need to take any of the vows.<br />
<br />
<br />
The three primary orders are the knights of Megalos, of the Stone, and of the Hospital representing the empire, the nobility, and the church... respectively.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<b>The knights of the Stone</b> are from northern caithness, and tend to be devoted more to the concept of chivalry than to religious doctrine... many Huguenots find sanctuary in this order. Women and non-humans can also be found in this order. The Inquisition is just itching to shut them down. The heraldic design is a thin cross with a circle forming a crosshair where the two lines meet.<br />
<br />
<b>The Knights Hospitaller</b> are the strongest in favor of another crusade. They have much of the wealth of the church on their side, and have great political power. They also tend to be intolerant, and strong rivals of the Order of the Stone. Their Heraldic emblem is a cross with split, curving edges.<br />
<br />
<b>The Knights of Megalos</b> are a branch of the Emperors military, and recruited in recent years mainly from military ranks. Most of the other knights snigger at how many of these knights are not of noble birth. Even the Older Megalos knights are appalled at this. These knights also tend to be the most effective warriors.<br />
<b></b><br />
<b>Landed Knights</b> There are many, many different orders of landed knights. Landed knights often swear allegiance to one of the other knightly orders, in addition to their own household. This is shown by the heraldic emblem of one of the three orders being inset into the primary design of the shield and tunic. A typical title might be: “Sir John Stein of House Stein, Knight of the Stone” To be landed means your family is nobility, and owns land with serfs on it, and probably a manor house or castle.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Non Humans</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
In the history of Megalos, two orcs, seven goblins, four gargoyles, and several dozen halfings and gnomes have been granted knighthood by the empire or various noble houses. Each time they are considered exceptional and exemplary. Most of the nobility think this is wrong at all levels, and most of these non human knights have been dead for centuries.<br />
<br />
There are two primary exceptions.<br />
<br />
<b>Elven Knights</b> tend to be a follower of the way of the wood, and typically rides an Impenya. Knightly orders are a human construct and seen with amusement. However since humans hold such great stock on status, all Elves can and will claim nobility (being immortal, and few in number, nearly every elf can honestly claim to be a close relative to an Elvish king) Their weapons of choice are Clardinalla, bow, and light lance. They typically decorate their shield and tunics with an Oak tree.<br />
<br />
<b>Dwarven Knights</b> do not like to ride steeds, and therefore have little love for mounted combat. But since you can’t seem to be able to talk to a human unless you’ve got a knighthood tucked into your belt, the Dwarves came up with “The Order of the Hammer” and bestow this title on the Dwarven kings, and the many sons of the kings. Now since Dwarves tend to go adventuring the most in that 40 year period before they become an Adult, most “Hammer Knights” tend to be young dwarves gathering wealth and tales of bravery to impress a Dwarven woman back home enough for her to marry him.<br />
<br />
A Hammer knight tends to use a hammer or axe, wear full plate, and as a nod to human custom, decorate their shield and tunic with a Hammer design.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-29684749252063858212011-04-03T13:05:00.000-07:002011-04-03T13:13:39.177-07:00The First Adventure, part 5Having been woken by the brawl between the Jaegermonster and the Golem, the soldiers break camp. After deliberating on their options:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>They can climb a forty story sheer marble wall.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
<ul><li>Or head south where the water in the fountain has drained out and been replaced with silt and tunnel through there.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
<ul><li>Or head north to where the fountain has a break, and deal with the mud people village that has formed at the base of the waterfall.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
The Soldiers head north.<br />
<br />
On the way there, the Were tiger is the first to notice that a fly is following them. This fly, about the comparative size of a St Bernard, is staying well out of bow shot, but is most definitely tracking their movements. They communicate with the Gryphon rider, and have her circle around in an attempt to either kill the fly or drive it into range of the rest.<br />
<br />
Her ability to sneak is untrained, however, and the fly spots her well before she gets into range. The Illithid is mind controlling it, and as the Gryphon dives down to the fly, The Gryphon is controlled, and simply folds its wings closed, and falls in an uncontrolled spin to the ground!<br />
<br />
Frantically the Rider maintains her seat onto the Gryphon, the rest of the soldiers watch, too far away to be helpful as she begins to fall to her death. At the last moment, she manages to tug on the ears of her beloved Gryphon, causing enough pain to shake the mind control off, and with that the Gryphon pulls out of the death dive. The fly remains in view, but stays on the wall of the fountain, far to high and distant to be attacked.<br />
<br />
Darkness comes before they reach the village, The shield that covers the entire shard slowly sealing up and going dark. They decide rather than camp to continue to travel by night. The firemage ignites weapons for most of the group, creating light and heat, without damaging them. The Gryphon hates to fly in darkness, so spends its time walking with the rest of the group, audibly protesting once in a while. The Golem offers to let the Gryphon ride on his shoulders, but the Gryphon is not even slightly interested.<br />
<br />
At least this way, the fly does not seem to be following them.<br />
<br />
<br />
As the shield covering the land begins to lighten the next day, The Soldiers have traveled to the village of the Mud People. A few dozen adobe Yurts, resembling upside down turnips, with the pointy bit sicking straight up. Domesticated beetles all over the place, rooting around for intents and purposes as pigs, or maybe dogs.<br />
<br />
As they stand there, taking this scene in, An orc crawls out of one of the yurts, and stands there scratching himself and watching the soldiers. He is completely unconcerned that a well armed group of mostly human warriors is near his home. He grunts a bit, and soon enough, other orcs begin to come out, some of the yurts holding a dozen orcs apiece. Soon hundreds of orcs surround the soldiers, Most of them larger than the humans, but smaller than the golem, some of them holding sticks and such, but not in a particularly threatening manner. Eventually the biggest orc of the group, clearly the leader shows up, and the chief stands there, waiting.<br />
<br />
When the firemage makes the universal gesture of "octopus mouth" by wiggling her fingers under her chin like they were an animated braided beard, and the orcs repeat it without understanding, it becomes clear that communication is going to be a problem<br />
<br />
Soon enough, the Jaegermonster realizes that many of the words these orcs speak are the same as his own language, heavilly accented. Soon he is able to translate enough to be understood. After a few moments, the group are able to explain to the orcs that they want to climb the waterfall in order to kill an Illithid. The orcs see this as a good reason, but won't let them go until they pay the chief.<br />
<br />
The orcs don't care much for money, and soon the group each comes up with a gift. The weretigers gift is the best received, a hand held assassin's crossbow and several bolts. After explaining how to use it, the Chief is shooting the crossbow over and over, aiming mostly at smaller orcs, with a cheer going up whenever the chief succeeds. The mace gifted by the Michaelite also goes over well... orcs take turn hitting each other with it all day long.<br />
The golem has nothing to give, so offers to arm wrestle one of them. the Orcs LOVE this idea, and soon a call goes out. a Tugolith emerges, walking on its hind legs. (A tugolith most resembles a large talking rhinocerous, but is considered a domesticated draft animal by most races.) The contest is over soon, with the Tugoith winning. The Orcs are disappointed that the golem kept his arm.<br />
<br />
Once all gifts have been exchanged, the Orcs refuse to let the soldiers go, happily herding them into a yurt, and keeping them there all day, feeding them well, even supplying live aphid-like insects for the weretiger to eat, the equivalent size and taste of a chicken. The orcs treat them as guests but are not letting them leave.<br />
<br />
Only the next morning does the group manage to sneak out of the yurt and start their climb. Its at this point that the Illithid finds them again, and several of the orcs get controlled and start to head towards them. The firemage uses all her reserves to create a thick flaming wall on top of the mud, and completely blocks the mind flayers attack.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The rest of the orcs are curious as to why several of them are deliberately zombie-walking through a wall of fire, but not enough to repeat this behaviour. The zombified ones aren't coordinated enough to climb, and stand there watching, on fire, as the solders ascend. eventually the Illithid releases its control, and the orcs loudly and comically extenguish themselves to the laughter of the hundreds of others now watching this event.<br />
<br />
During the climb the Illithid tries again and again to control the soldiers, but they are either too intelligent, stubborn or stone-headed for it to be successful.The Jaegermeister was able to resist all the efforts of the Mind flayer during the climb, and the entire group makes it to the flat top of the outer ring of the fountain. The Weretiger is controlled breifly, but this is banished instantly when he is touched by Githyanki. She is wearing a gods tear amulet, and its power completely banished the mind attack.<br />
<br />
And that's where they are, On top of the outer ring, overlooking the water of the fountain. They can see they must cross this koi filled vast lake, where they must climb a second, taller sheer wall to the middle ring, and possibly an even longer climb to the central top.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-33037015462317511902011-03-29T09:54:00.000-07:002011-03-29T09:54:06.289-07:00Arcadia, 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.<div><br />
</div><div>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.<br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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. </div><div><a name='more'></a></div><div>Elves are immortal, barring violence and accident (and not always then) There are very few diseases that affect them, and their magical abilities tend to prevent the more common ailments from ever having a chance. Physically they are faster, smarter, and better looking than most others. They truly believe themselves to be superior in all ways to every other race.<br />
<br />
Arcadian Elves tend to be vain, self absorbed, and completely intolerant of all other races. The average elf desires to surround himself with elegance and beauty, even to the point of having an ugly creature killed simply so the elf no longer has to look at it.<br />
<br />
The twin cities are incredibly beautiful, breathtaking even. Built mainly by dwarven hands to elven specifications, then enhanced by elven magic. </div><div><br />
</div><div>However no other race may erect a visible structure that has not been approved by Arcadian council. Building an ugly structure, or one that interferes with the beauty of another structure is a crime punishable by the death of the builder, his family, and his friends.<br />
<br />
Elves are protected from all manner of harm, with elaborate courts, trials, and penalties for crimes between elves. Non-elves do not share the same level of protection, and may arbitrarily be killed, violated, property seized, or sold into slavery by an Elf. If a non-elf harms an elf (offending their sensabilities is considered harmful) death, maiming or slavery is swifty executed.<br />
<br />
Even the poorest of elves contains vast treasures compared to the average non-elf. Magical items are very common. Non-elves in arcadia rarely possess magic, and while enchanted items are not-neccessarily illegal for a non-elf to possess, elves tend to believe such items are stolen property. It's not safe for a non-elf to openly display magic.<br />
<br />
Magery and magical ability are considered proof in the eyes of elves that there is some elven blood inside a non-elf. Many mages have been killed simply because they "presumed to pervert the birthright of all elves by using a gift unworthy of them"<br />
<br />
To many Arcadian elves, if blood is 1/16th non-elven, then that person is considered a non-elf, and tend to be targets for all manner of ridicule and bullying. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Half elves are uncommon, but not rare, and are considered by the more intolerant Arcadians elves to be abominations. Any non-elf with obvious elven features runs a risk of offending elves. Most half elves tend to hide their looks, and leave the shard as soon as they can.<br />
<br />
Certain races are kept as pets and servants of the elves, these tend to be the "sylvan" races, and magical abilities are tolerated among them. These races are Ellyons, Leprechauns, centaurs, and fauns. Humans have become popular pets and servants in recent years. They are often enchanted or "glamored" to have a slave mentality.<br />
<br />
There are many races other than elf on Arcadia, villages dot the landscape on both sides. The elves however rule the shard, any village that has grown too large, or that is considered "ugly" will be commanded to change. An elf may appear and order the village to reduce it's numbers by half for instance, and given a week to do so. If they do not comply, a dozen armored and enchanted elves may attack without warning, killing without mercy or compassion, until the village has an acceptable level of population. <br />
<br />
To chop down a tree, or spoil the cultivated beauty of an area (by building a campsight, for instance) is considered a crime. Villages are responsible for maintaining the beauty of their surroundings, and failure to do so results in harsh sanctions. Everbright once ordered every man over fourteen in an entire village be blinded in their left eye, because they trimmed a glade of trees in a manner considered shoddy. The eyes were replaced with round semiprecious stones, non magical and non functional, so as to not themselves be ugly to look upon. <br />
<br />
The wild hunt is a popular pastime of Utterdark nobility, who dress in magical armor and join a procession of other elves riding Empenya, and with their great, deadly hounds to hunt and kill sentients simply for the thrill of it. A wild hunt may be called simply because an orc, or goblin has been spotted, "Defiling their land by their mere existence"<br />
<br />
All races on Arcadia are expected to pay tribute to the elves, serving them in a variety of ways. races with pleasing physical features may be kept as pets and servants, such as the ellyon, the occasional human, fawns, and leprechauns. For many years, Dwarves were the laborers of the elves, kept underground so that their squat ugly features remained out of sight, they were expected to mine, build and create all manner of things for the elves. Until one day, a thousand years ago, the entire race simply left the shard. The elves who went to retrieve them never returned, and the Elves forbid anyone speak of it. There are no longer any dwarves on Arcadia, and in the Dwarven book of Grudges, Arcadia has a entire section.<br />
<br />
<br />
There is no great philosophical difference between the two elven cities, both have callous indifferent attitudes towards non-elves. However, its the "Dark Elves" that the rest of the shards fear. </div><div><br />
</div><div>It should also be noted that elves not on the shard of Arcadia, have learned to be more tolerant, or at least to hide their revulsion towards the ugly and graceless.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-16102009352811220902011-03-28T05:33:00.000-07:002011-03-28T05:33:53.522-07:00An Illithid tale.<i>"And he walked away, slowly shaking his head." <br />
<br />
"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?" <br />
<br />
"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..." <br />
<br />
"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?" <br />
<br />
" 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.<br />
<br />
"So anyway, if you want another story about the Mindtwisters, then I suppose I must oblige you, empty pockets or not. </i><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i>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. </i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i>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. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
"The Illithid have been gone from the shard for almost four hundred years now. Only the elves and dwarves can claim to have fought them personally, though it was humans who fought against their minds, humans who made the potions that destroyed their powers, and humans who found and used the Godtears against them. I must admit that we had a little help from the Elves, but the Dwarves just sealed their doors and waited things out. Not much help at all. <br />
<br />
"When Megalos was still a tiny town called Standing by the Edge, and humans were still wandering around saying yessir to the Elves, the 'Lithids came. They crawled or floated up the sides of the Edge and grabbed our minds, without even so much as a whistle of warning. They walked through the Spellwall without even slowing down, like it wasn't there. There was absolutely no defense against them. Elven and human magic just seemed to bounce off the bastards, that is if somebody actually managed to launch a spell at them. Generally, the Illithids just turned and blasted anyone who even looked at one of them cross-eyed. </i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i>The Elves never recovered from that, losing so many of their number at once. The rulers of the shard were gone, It was up to us humans after that.<br />
<br />
"The things couldn't be stopped, we tried ambushes, but they knew exactly where we were, an invisible man would stand out like a virgin at the house of dreams to them bastards. We tried arrows from horseback, out of range of their powers, but the arrows missed, every blasted time. We hit them with every spell, every weapon, and every lowdown dirty Gnomish and Goblin trick we could think of, but the ‘Lithids just gurgled at us, then blew our brains out of our ears. <br />
<br />
"We lost every battle we fought against them, they took over the entire coastline of the shard. They had us in a hold so tight, that it seemed a man couldn't even dream about fighting them in his sleep and get away with it. The only free people at all were in the deserts and mountains far from the edges. The things didn't seem to like going too deep into the shard, they stayed fairly close to the coastline. <br />
<br />
"They had limits. We found that out, at least. They had trouble messing with a smart man's mind, and if you tried real hard to think of something else, like Father Dominato's boring speeches, then they couldn't tell what you were really thinking. They couldn't control everyone at once, only five or six people at a time, but they always grabbed the nastiest people and thingies that they could to guard themselves. <br />
<br />
"There are two basic types of Illithids. There's the tall, skinny mindflayers that are all long tentacles, except for teeny little eyes and a soft sack to hold their brains and stomach. Them things are the real nasty ones, they could be sitting here in this room, and tell you that Jack Torbin just killed a man behind Mount Megalos. The thing would be right, too. He could even tell you what both of them were thinking about. <br />
<br />
"The other kind is dangerous, too. They look like a big giant eye, with lots of little eyes on stubby tentacles. What else can you call a thing like that, but a Beholder. They've got a huge mouth that can easily swallow a man's decapitated head, and lots of sharp teeth to make the separation easier. They bigger they are, the meaner and nastier they are. the biggest one they tell about was as big around as a barrel of beer. These things floated on the air just like soap bubbles do, as if they weighed less than an Ellyon's fart, but it was their mind tricks that was keeping them up. They could squeeze a strong man to death just by looking at him, and they could rip a tree out of the ground by glaring at it. Some of them could play with your brain like the Flayers, but not many. <br />
<br />
"I think the Flayers kept them like pets and servants, because they did everything the Flayers told them, even if it killed them. They must have been the 'Lithids idea of a bodyguard. <br />
<br />
"After the Monsters took control, things got worse. They did things to people that make Bales look good. Well, for one thing, they made humans into Bales. Bales were sort of like overseers for the Illithids. They needed something that could do magic, because the 'Lithids couldn't, thank god. The 'Lithids took humans and ate them, and made the Bales eat them too, and taught them to like it. But that didn't satisfy their depravity, so they made some humans able to read minds. Some say they did it so the humans could hear each other mind-scream when the Lithids were hungry, to improved the flavor. <br />
<br />
"Humans weren't all standing still, of course. The free people in the mountains and hills were desperately looking for some way to take out the Mindtwisters. At first they figured undead was the way to go… A bunch of Necromancers called the followers of Lazarus gave it a go… Used a lot of zombies and golems and such. For while it looked like it was going to work. They didn’t reckon on the Baals. <br />
<br />
“Human folk just don’t have the stomach for necromancy but Baals wallow in the stuff. And Baals were working for the Flayers. They wiped out the Lazarites pretty quickly, leaving them broken and toothless. What's worse, they learned from the Lazarites, every damn trick, and used it against us. </i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i>"Ah thank you my dear, Now see Spider, this lass right here is why I keep coming back."</i></div><div><i>"Finish the drink and keep on with the story, Dubin."</i></div><div><i>"All right then"</i></div><div><i><br />
"Along came Marcus Megalos, and his Brother Augustus, who had led the Lazarites. When the things weren't looking, which wasn't easy, he somehow managed to make off with a few of the humans that the 'Lithids had experimented on. He took the poor things to a hidden cave in the mountains, and raised them as his own kids. These people had mind powers, but nowhere near the strength of the Illithids. But they could hide their thoughts, and managed to spy on and find out some things that could help defeat the monsters. Over the years they discovered the 'Lithids were afraid of Godtear Opals. a clear stone with a layer of another stone inside, like a cats eye. Where most opals make good powerstones, these never seem to take to magic. Someone wearing a Godtear can't be senses by 'Lithids powers, and can't be blasted by a Flayer. A Beholder could still tear him apart with his mind, but it couldn't read your thoughts. They also found out by a lot of trial and error, that a certain mixture of herbs could Give a mind master the shivers something fierce. After that, the bastards couldn't hurt a lame rat with their minds for days afterwards. Can you imagine how they figured that out, trying potion after potion on themselves. God, it makes me hurt all over just to think about it. <br />
<br />
"And the surviving Elves came up with something useful, too. I guess that the stuck up Tree lovers do have a few redeeming characteristics. It seems that the Silversteel they make their armor out of was hell for a mindtwister to wear. It gave them awful headaches, and they only had a quarter of their power when they were wearing them." The Elves, wearing Godtears, and hiding in deep forests (where else), made a lot of Silversteel bands, to clamp on legs or tentacles or eyestalks, or whatever. And they hexed a lot of them too. Remember Bold Tom and that hexed blanket?" <br />
<br />
"Aye, I remember that, the poor sod almost smothered to death, running out of the candle shop with his pants down and that blanket wrapped around him like he was wearing a giant's turban. He was hollering like it was a leech or something. I helped carry him to The House of Wands."<br />
<br />
"They had to get a wizard to disintegrate the thing. Bold Tom wasn't quite so bold with Widow Gillian after that. <br />
<br />
"Well, things were coming to a head when Marcus stepped into the picture. He led a band of men who called themselves Nightcrawlers, on account of the sneaky way they liked to fight, against the 'lithids. He, and about two hundred men, using God's tears and Mindshaker Potions, Silversteel and shear obstinate determination, managed to defeat the things that had made a mockery of every army on the shard. He really kicked some 'Lithids Arse! Er, umm... he kicked something in that general area. <br />
<br />
"There never were that many Illithid to start with. Only a few hundred were on the shard when the Megalos brothers started the Great Crusade, and they relied way too much on their mind powers. The Flayers couldn't find the small commando legions, because of the Godtears, let alone destroy them. Silversteel arrows weren't stopped by Beholder brain tricks, either, and a little of the Potion on the tip turned the great, big, all-powerful eye into a quivering pudding. Bales turned on the 'Lithids whenever they could. Bales are nasty even to their creators. and then the bales crawled into hidey holes and disappeared. Megalos didn't kill many of those slimy monsters, which was a crying shame. <br />
<br />
"The Lithids fought back of course, but now it was them that didn't have any defense. Emperor Megalos drove them off the Edge like a flock of sheep into a dip trough, one by one, kicking and screaming. People were revolting against the things everywhere, and they had made too many of the humans into mindtwisters for them to control everyone at once. It took the Megalos brothers less than two years to rid the shard of an enemy that had ruled it for over a century. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Most of the human mindtwisters were carried off the shard by the Illithids, so we don't have many of those around anymore, thank god. Those bastards worked for the mindlflayers, and liked it. A lot of them got together in the last days and tried to take power for themselves. The knightcrawlers took care of a lot of them. They didn’t have the power of their masters though… They could only control one or two people at a time… The easiest way to take them out was to get a crowd together and stone them. </i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i>The city where the last Illithid was driven off the shard was named after Megalos, and for that matter, so was the Shard. The city lived happily for many years after that. That is, until the Dragon Longflames arrived, and we lost Marcus.</i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i>"Of course, the right thinking people of the shard made Augustus Megalos the Emperor after that, and his family has ruled ever since. <br />
<br />
"But that's another story." The old man looked into his jack <br />
<br />
"Hey Spider... this thing must have a leak. It seems to be empty."</i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-20482692303988749262011-03-26T13:13:00.000-07:002011-03-26T13:14:35.715-07:00known shards<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Known Shards</b></span><br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Tejas</span><br />
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!<br />
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.<br />
<div><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Gondwana</span><br />
This shard supports an empire easily as large as Megalos, and has been around easily as long, if not longer. The Archeron empire is ruled by a god-king with absolute power over his subjects... the great pyramids that dot their empire are the burial sites of former rulers, silent testimony to the empires wealth and power. A great desert, thousands of miles in size dominates one entire fourth of the shard, with the rest divided between jungle and grassland. Imported from Gondwana are spices, exotic animals, and gemstones. <br />
Gondwana is a large shard, and the people are divided into many cultures. Moslems flourish in small pockets, yet the dominant religion remains pagan, with large pantheons. The dominant race is human, but other races can be found... Primarily reptile and insect men. A common race of tribal nomads are the Punts, short and dark skinned, with dwarven features... but the race is beardless, and hair tends to be wiry and black.<br />
Archeron dress tends toward loincloths or loose flowing robes, due to the great heat put out by the dome... yet their culture seems remarkably advanced. Common weapons include swords, bows, and a wicked personal dagger with a long twisted blade.</div><div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Tamoachan</span><br />
This shard is peopled primarily by Goblins and centaurs, The Goblins dominate about half the shard, the centaurs control the rest. The Goblin empires are known as Azatek and Taracua, they are nothing at all like the goblins common to Megalos. Where Megalos goblins have become very much an established part of the mostly human shard... The Goblins of Tamoachan are xenophobic and prone to violence. They are fierce warriors, and take many prisoners to be sacrificed to evil pagan deities. Nevertheless, their empire can be compared to that of archeron... they also erect great ziggurats, but instead of burial crypts, the pyramids are shrines and altars to their dark gods.<br />
The Centaurs belong to a great many tribal nations, banded together against the goblins... Nations include Cree, blackfoot, and Apache tribes, each of with have various specialties worthy of export. Trade includes gold, silver, wood products, furs, and exotic plants.<br />
The goblins tend towards loincloths and loose clothing like the Archerons, but also tend to tattoo themselves a great deal. Their most common weapon is the spear and atl-atl, as well as war clubs covered with sharp obsidian stones or animal teeth. These goblins do share the same flair for invention as goblins elsewhere, but they tend to be along the lines of mass destruction and lethal traps.<br />
The centaurs have various modes of dress depending upon their tribe, but deerskin clothing is common, and ritual tattoos can be found as well, but style can change dramatically between tribes. the most common weapons are the spear, bow, and a small throwing axe.</div><div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Utguard</span><br />
This is a cold shard of harsh winds and great dark forests. Hyborea, Cimmeria, and Jotunland are the three main countries. All three countries are pagan, but Jotunland is becoming more and more christian in it's beliefs. It is a favorite spot for Megalos missionaries.The Jotun Longships with their vandals and raiders are feared through out the shards. No coastal town is safe from their raids, and not many larger cities have been free of attack either... Megalos has made a deal with the Utguardians. In exchange for protection from raids, Megalos trades with them regularly. The principal races of Utguard are Orcs, goblins, and an unusual proportion of hobgoblins... But many races can be found on the shard, due to the habit of taking slaves. It should be noted that the child of a slave can easily win his freedom, and many of the top layers of Utguard society are no longer orcs. Humans often rise in the less combat orientated areas of society. There is absolutely nothing an Utguardian enjoys more than a good knock-down drag out fight. preferably with edged weapons. The Dwarves of Utguard have little direct dealing with the orcs... the war between them has been going on now for centuries. They share the same traits as dwarves from most other shards, but tend to be a bit more colorful, and (to other dwarves) suicidal.</div><div><br />
Utguardians wear heavy fur clothing for the most part, weapons include virtually anything found among the shards, Utguardians aren't particular. Axes and picks abound simply due to the war with the Dwarves. Orcs make very little of their own weapons or armor, preferring to take them from their enemies. Dwarves correspond almost exactly to the Megalos version, differences being that berzerkness is more common, and they also worship the pagan deities of the Norse Mythos.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Underside</span><br />
Each of the great shards is only shielded on one side. The other is left open to the odd effects of the aether... When first cast onto this dimension, the undersides resembled great rocky, lifeless rifts in the earth... much like the underside of a large shovelful of grassy lawn. But surprisingly, many species have adapted well to the aether, including sea life. Yes, sea life.<br />
Due to the enterprises of an arch mage, all aquatic life that is cast into the aether is transformed into air breathers... with levitational movement exactly duplicating the same locomotion the creature had in the water. This Archmage used spells every other wizard in the shard would gladly kill to learn.<br />
Because of his great magic, Life abounds in the aether... grasses, plants, and seaweed have taken root in the nooks and valleys of the underside. Trees grow next to coral reefs, moray eels lie in wait for unsuspecting pigeons, and great clouds of brine shrimp fly through the aether... chased by whales.<br />
Without gravity... the life has adapted in often bizarre ways. trees can grow to incredible heights, but with no "up" or "down" tend simply to grow in incredibly twisted shapes. The light is dimmer off a shard as well, so plants tend to be a darker color to absorb more of its energy. <br />
The principle races of the Underside are Winged Folk, Great eagles, Mermen, Fisherfolk, and the illithids. Cultures vary greatly, depending on which race and even which shard. Trade consists of coral, pearls, fish, and other treasures of the aether.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Islands</span><br />
Islands are small shards, and there are thousands of them. They are divided into two basic types, shielded and unshielded.<br />
Of the shielded islands, most were created during the great reconstruction just after the world was whisked into this dimension. These islands have full gravity, day and night, and standard weather patterns. In short, they are much like the larger shards. However some of the shields were created later, by powerful mages who did not have the support of the 900 to fall back on... Some of these islands have warped weather patterns, or inconsistent gravity, or the mage put an unusual twist on the shield that allows for odd effects. These isles can be very strange places indeed. One Island for instance is known to heat up to boiling temperature one day a month, due to a major error on the mages calculations.<br />
<br />
The unshielded Islands have no gravity, and weather is as erratic as the rest of the Aether... These Isles tend to be the homes of the original races of this dimension... the illithids and the lifeforms that have evolved on this plane. They resemble great asteroids, with no apparent top or bottom.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Other Shards</b></span><br />
These shards are not generally traded with... they are believed to be legendary, possibly fiction.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Necrom</span><br />
This shard is rumored to be full of undead of all types... primarily bales and vampires. What living races that can be found serve as cattle for them. The only thing protecting the other shards from their depravitity is an unusual field around the entire shard, apparently keeping them within it. obviously little is know about this place.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Arcadia</span><br />
A shard entirely covered in forest with small scattered lakes and pastoral clearings... Home to elves, the entire shard is rumored to be hidden by powerful magic to protect against trespassing. Most believe it a myth.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Center</span><br />
This shard never moves from it's location. It is rumored to be the location where the 900 cast their collective spell that saved the world from destruction. It is a small shard, and difficult to get to. Besides, an elder dragon is rumored to live there, why would anyone deliberately go there?</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-64821167982801018622011-03-26T10:52:00.000-07:002011-03-26T12:32:19.150-07:00The first adventure, part fourThe 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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).<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
The next day, they leave the tree, crossing another path to make it to the fountain, a single days journey.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
<br />
The finally make it to the great wall of the fountain and decide to camp their before continuing<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-59555645388962831352011-03-26T06:43:00.000-07:002011-03-26T06:43:07.502-07:00The 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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?<br />
<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
No further incidents occur, and the soldiers make it through the rose bushes, onto the edge of the gravel path.<br />
<br />
It is here they set up camp, preparing to cross the open miles of loose boulders in the morning.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-5609446734570687502011-03-22T17:44:00.000-07:002011-03-22T17:44:17.353-07:00The first adventure, part twoThe 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-7697574189118504732011-03-20T10:19:00.000-07:002011-03-20T10:22:09.848-07:00The people and places of Virgin's SquareWhat those who have lived in Megalos would know:<br />
<br />
<i>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. <br />
<br />
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. <br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
The people were so moved by his sacrifice, that they made his brother the first Emperor, which proved to be a wise decision. <br />
<br />
Now the Empire of Megalos stretches across the shard, and has absorbed hundreds of towns and villages under its protection. <br />
</i><b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><span x="y">The people and places of Virgin's Square</span></span></b><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Dragons Statue</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span></b>This is a large bronze statue of a huge flying dragon, about to be lanced through the heart by a Knight in Plate armor. Near the knight is a woman chained to a post. The entire statue is life sized, the dragon covering twenty-two yards from tip to tail and rises two full stories in height. The statue is magical, and each month the positions of the knight and dragon change slightly, as if they are fighting in very slow motion. <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>"Captain" Jonathos</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>This old and grizzled veteran seems to have a knack for finding people willing to do things that most people would consider suicidal. A lot of wealthy people contact the Captain when they want something unpleasant or dangerous done, and Jonathos then sets about finding the right people for the job. Nearly every single person in Virgin's Square owes him a favor of some sort. <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Ghepettio the Gnome</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>This fellow is never seen without his toolbox. He is a travelling tinker who makes his rounds of the city every day, repairing and building things of wood and leather for people around the city, his prices are modest, and his skill is very high. A lot of people ask him why he doesn't open a shop, but Ghepettio prefers his daily walks and the city sights to being stuck in a room all day. He tends to give most of his profits away, to the first deserving person he encounters. Everyone knows that Ghepettio is dirt poor, despite the money he could be making<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Salmagundies Wagon</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>This colorful character sells various meat and fish pies and dishes from his little push cart. He sets up his cart in the center of the square by the Dragons statue. He is a good friend of Spider Braaz, and the two of them often have a drink together after sunset. Salmagundy loves gossip, and knows what everyone is doing, most of the time. <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>The Diamond Spider Tavern</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>This is a bar frequented by many of the mercenary and adventurer types in Megalos. Weapons aren't allowed inside, with the exception of daggers. Spider Braaz, the tavern owner, is probably one of the best knife fighters around. He hosts a dagger throwing contest every Tuesday, exotic dancers on Thursdays, and story telling on Saturdays. <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Gillian's Fantasies in Wax</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>This is a candle shop run by the widow Gillian. She also makes some fairly high quality Fetishes for many of the more common spells. Gillian has never been known to leave her shop. She has two apprentices, both beautiful young girls, and she is fairly good looking in her own right. Her candles are works of art, many have mild spells put on them, mostly to create particular moods and emotions. <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Korbo's Transport</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>Korbo runs a very successful public transportation system, the vehicles are stored in this area, next to Korbo's office. Masses of people are ferried around upon large flat-top wagons, but hansom cabs and small carriages are also available. Every regular knows that Mad Willey's cab should be avoided by everyone but the truly fearless. <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>The Bowels of the Earth Inn</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>A very interesting flophouse. Rooms and food are very cheap here, and you get what you pay for. The rooms are clean and relatively safe. The owner, Jack Hostler has a bit of a problem with a ghost, who tends to constantly be harassing him in lots of less than lethal ways. This ghost has staked a claim on Jack, and apparently is the only thing allowed to give him any problems. <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Perigrins House</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>This man is a member of the winged folk, quite rare to be living on a shard, rather than in the Aether. He runs a boarding house with several small apartments for rent. Prices are reasonable, and tenants get supper cooked for free from a halfling cook named Thelma. If you don't give her any trouble, she won't bother you. Although his wings seem perfectly functional, Perigrin has never been known to fly. <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Henry Qualidons Dry Goods </b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>Henry's shop has a flavor perfectly suited to Virgin's Square. He sells a great many things that any adventurer or mercenary would be looking for. He sells very little in the way of magic or weapons, but he can and does outfit people with proper outdoor clothing, backpacks, rations, and the various things that make a traveling mans life a little easier. He also does a little buying and selling of "lost treasures" and "found items" on the side. He fanatically denies being a fence for stolen goods. <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Saga City</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>The Goblin that runs this business is quite interesting. He buys and sells rumors. Trading and selling information to all who come to his shop. He is very smart, and once he has proven the extent of his useful information, will never disclose a hint or clue without payment. He has a hobgoblin associate, Genius, who is quite capable of handling the more violent patrons who want to talk to him. <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Big Quimble's Smithy</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span>A Tejas giant has made this place his home. He can make just about anything out of metal, just ask him. He must be able to back his claims, because he has several Human and Dwarven apprentices, and even the occasional Centaur will train under him. Quimble will make armor or weapons if the price is right, but such things are illegal to non-nobility for the most part. He doesn't have much use for authority, but would prefer to stay in business. Try to be discreet if that is what you are after. <br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;">(several of these locations were taken from the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Citybook-Vol-Candlestick-Game-Masters-Role-Playing/dp/0940244705" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">citybook</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> series of gaming aids, which I HIGHLY </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">recommend</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> to anyone running a fantasy campaign)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-82562172634968276182011-03-19T15:54:00.000-07:002011-03-19T20:22:25.338-07:00The first adventure, part oneUsing 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.<br />
<br />
After a day of travel, the compass directs them to a wayside shrine, set up in honor of St Olybrious the goblin.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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).<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
Discussion among them is that the compass must be detecting a dimensional gate, or perhaps there is an underground passage here.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-15872690683430244942011-03-19T14:39:00.000-07:002011-03-19T22:00:47.439-07:00Riding Animals<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Riding animals</b></span><br />
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.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Horses</b></span><br />
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.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><br />
<b>Butter ponies</b>: 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.<br />
<b><br />
</b><b>Amcathra pepper horses: </b>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.<br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></ul><b><br />
</b><b>Ilzimmer Quicks:</b> 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.<br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></ul><b></b><br />
<div><b><b><br />
</b></b></div><b>Jhansczil darks:</b> 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.<br />
<br />
<b>Piradost Claymores</b>: 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. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 32px; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 32px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br />
</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>Others Mounts</b></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span> Besides horses, there are Camels, Mules, Bison, Griffins, Hippogriffs, Impenya, Boars, Tanngrisner, Tugoliths, and Swiftrunners.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Griffins and Hippogriffs:</b> 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.<br />
<br />
<b>Boars:</b> 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.<br />
<br />
<b>Tugoliths</b>: 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. <b>Tanngrisner:</b> 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.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span><b>Impenyia</b>: 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.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br />
</b></span><b>Swiftrunners:</b> 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.<br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-23959148387693175302011-03-19T14:29:00.000-07:002011-03-19T14:29:00.699-07:00Domesticated animals<ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-weight: bold;" x="y">Domesticated Animals</span>
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.
<span style="font-weight: bold;" x="y">Dragons</span>
There are three types of dragons, The great <span style="font-weight: bold;" x="y">dragon cows</span>, female, flightless, massive, ponderous, and slow. grass eaters. Then there are the <span style="font-weight: bold;" x="y">dragon bulls</span>, 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 <span style="font-weight: bold;" x="y">True Dragons</span>, 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.
<span style="font-weight: bold;" x="y">Spiders</span>: 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.
<span style="font-weight: bold;" x="y">Milkfish</span>: 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.
<span style="font-weight: bold;" x="y">Butterbees</span>: 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.
<span style="font-weight: bold;" x="y">Orcbeetles</span>: 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.<span class="__wave_paste" data-wave-annotations="0,20,style%2FfontWeight,bold:320,327,style%2FfontWeight,bold:374,385,style%2FfontWeight,bold:470,482,style%2FfontWeight,bold:654,666,style%2FfontWeight,bold:1219,1226,style%2FfontWeight,bold:2114,2122,style%2FfontWeight,bold:2531,2541,style%2FfontWeight,bold:2997,3007,style%2FfontWeight,bold:" data-wave-xml="Domesticated Animals<line></line><line></line><line></line>Cats, Dogs, Horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, and goats are common.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>Dragons <line></line>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.<line></line><line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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. <line></line><line></line>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."></span><span> </span></ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-60180980332828546662011-03-19T13:43:00.000-07:002011-03-19T13:43:04.420-07:00Shattered world history<ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">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.
<a name='more'></a>
They crafted (some say gathered, from even older sources) thirty talismans to be used as amplifiers of magic, Each of these coins enhanced the magical powers of its bearer, and grew exponentially when in contact with the others. With these, they crafted a moving portal that could whisk entire armies into other worlds. The controlled it with a Mirror, allowing them to see other worlds, and directed this Banestorm, this dimensional door, to the locations they desired.
But the users of magic began to sense a deep foreboding, a quiet dread that shadowed everything. A premonition of disaster. The greatest mages, sorcerers and spellcasters of the earth... rebel elves, Dwarves, intelligent dragons (some say, ALL of them), the Ellyonn, , even a few orcs and goblins began to gather together at an unnamed place of power, it was as if the earth itself was calling them. This gathering of wizards became known as the nine hundred, and the power they possessed was vast . . .
In epic confrontation, the nine hundred faced the dark elves, led by Pendamon, and won a great battle, shattering the Mirror of All, and flinging the thirty coins into the Banestorm itself. But the storm had already grown too powerful. It was too late.
When the Banestorm was released, it began to feed from the power in other dimensions (an unexpected development) and grew more powerful than even the most imaginative of the Elves could have predicted.
The Banestorm destroyed the world. It whisked vast chunks of land into other places, cracking the mantle of the earth, and causing the core to explode. The earth was shattered into a thousand pieces. some the size of continents.
The nine hundred could not restore the world, nor could they destroy the Banestorm. They did manage to save the planet by using the Storm itself to whisk the remaining shards of the planet into another dimension, where the laws of nature were somewhat different. Then began a process of reconstruction that lasted many years. The Nine Hundred created many great shields of magic that protected the individual shards, and spells that restored the seasons, and night and day. They moved the larger shards into permanent orbits and restored a semblance of order to the world. They did manage to limit the power of the Banestorm by shifting much of it into many other dimensions, but this was not a perfect solution. The Banestorm still travels through the remains of the shattered world, taking things elsewhere in time and space, but now it also drops things off.
All this was a thousand years ago.
The Nine Hundred collapsed shortly after the fate of the world was more or less resolved, as if the force that brought them together was no longer interested in them. Some of the Nine Hundred continued to restore the world, some became tyrannical overlords of individual shards, but most vanished, picking up their lives where they left off.
The shards for the most part remained totally isolated from the other pieces for some six or seven hundred years, developing very different cultures and histories. The Banestorm helped matters along by dropping large deposits of people occasionally onto a shard, and vanishing, These people no worse for their experience.
The Shard of Megalos is one of these. Shortly after the Banestorm, a dozen small towns and villages of medieval Europe, Asia, and the middle east were unceremoniously scattered across Megalos overnight. Humans came to the Shattered world.
The Humans thrived upon the shard and quickly grew to dominate all of Megalos. Particularly the Norman and Saxon Catholic Crusaders who conquered most of the eastern and northern lands. The Asian people were all but pushed off the shard, and have retreated to the other side of nearly impassible mountains to the northwest. The Moslem people have dug in to the south and have built their empire there, strong enough to defend their borders from the sporadic crusades over the centuries. On the other side of a great desert lies the unexplored Land of Djinns. Little is known about them.
Since that time there has been several important historical events: The time of the sorcerers (great mages far more powerful than those currently alive), The creation of the capitol city of Megalos by defeating the great dragon "Longflame", the continuous crusades against the moslem empire, the successful illithid takeover, and the great war against the illithids... which ended less than one hundred years ago.
The Sorcerers were a group of mages, who apparently could not die. Their power is far greater than anything humanly possible. They ravaged the shard of megalos shortly after human cities began to appear through the whimsical power of the banestorm. They are suspected of pre-dating human (or even elven) history. They fought great battles against each other, using unbelievable magical power. they disappeared from all awareness roughly 1,000 years ago.
The city, country, and shard of Megalos were so named when the Korthos Megalos (a warrior-mage of honor and valor) challenged the dragon Longflame (a dragon of vast power that was laying waste to much of the shard) to a battle in order to lure it into a magical time trap, sacrificing his own life in the process. The people of the shard named Megalos after him in his honor, and also made his descendants their emperors. There have been 32 emperors and one empress since that time. Most have ruled wisely, and the people of megalos consider the emperor to be of nearly divine power, NOT to be questioned.
The crusades are now into their seventeenth round... each time, the victories on both sides have been minimal. there is currently no crusade going on, due to the recent recovery from the illithid invasion. but swords are being sharpened, and there is no love lost between catholics and muslims... The great truce is wearing thin.
The illithid invasion (an invasion by various squidlike creatures of great psychic power) held the entire shard in it's grasp for over twenty years... the mindflayers, mindtwisters, beholders, bales, and various creatures completely subjugated the intelligent races on the shard. The people of megalos did not stand a chance. The "squids" were defeated and driven off the shard by the emperor Jhona Megalos. He used unorthodox magic, rebellious mindtwisters, and guerrilla tactics to defeat them. the purge on the illithids was ruthless and effective. All illithid races are now used as basically "the boogyman". The hint of one being around is enough to create a lynch mob. Unfortunately since humans with psionic powers were considered to have allied with the illithids, all psionics fall into this category of "kill on sight". Even magic spells that deal with mind reading and mind control are considered to be heinously evil. Necromancy is not even a close second.
Yes, the people would rather see dead bodies walking around, than have somebody use a spell to read or control their mind.
The campaign is set within the city of Megalos, Capital of the Christian Empire. Home of the Emperor and focus of trade and commerce with the rest of the shard, and rarely, other shards as well. Most adventures will be set within or near Megalos city at first, and all players are native to this shard. Since Megalos is somewhat cosmopolitan in outlook, this won't pose too big of a problem.<span class="__wave_paste" data-wave-annotations="" data-wave-xml="The Shattered World<line></line><line></line>Overview:<line></line>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.<line></line>Then the Elves conceived of a plan.<line></line><line></line>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 . . . <line></line> The Banestorm.<line></line><line></line>They crafted (some say gathered, from even older sources) thirty talismans to be used as amplifiers of magic, Each of these coins enhanced the magical powers of its bearer, and grew exponentially when in contact with the others. With these, they crafted a moving portal that could whisk entire armies into other worlds. The controlled it with a Mirror, allowing them to see other worlds, and directed this Banestorm, this dimensional door, to the locations they desired.<line></line><line></line><line></line>But the users of magic began to sense a deep foreboding, a quiet dread that shadowed everything. A premonition of disaster. The greatest mages, sorcerers and spellcasters of the earth... rebel elves, Dwarves, intelligent dragons (some say, ALL of them), the Ellyonn, , even a few orcs and goblins began to gather together at an unnamed place of power, it was as if the earth itself was calling them. This gathering of wizards became known as the nine hundred, and the power they possessed was vast . . .<line></line><line></line>In epic confrontation, the nine hundred faced the dark elves, led by Pendamon, and won a great battle, shattering the Mirror of All, and flinging the thirty coins into the Banestorm itself. But the storm had already grown too powerful. It was too late.<line></line><line></line>When the Banestorm was released, it began to feed from the power in other dimensions (an unexpected development) and grew more powerful than even the most imaginative of the Elves could have predicted.<line></line><line></line>The Banestorm destroyed the world. It whisked vast chunks of land into other places, cracking the mantle of the earth, and causing the core to explode. The earth was shattered into a thousand pieces. some the size of continents.<line></line><line></line>The nine hundred could not restore the world, nor could they destroy the Banestorm. They did manage to save the planet by using the Storm itself to whisk the remaining shards of the planet into another dimension, where the laws of nature were somewhat different. Then began a process of reconstruction that lasted many years. The Nine Hundred created many great shields of magic that protected the individual shards, and spells that restored the seasons, and night and day. They moved the larger shards into permanent orbits and restored a semblance of order to the world. They did manage to limit the power of the Banestorm by shifting much of it into many other dimensions, but this was not a perfect solution. The Banestorm still travels through the remains of the shattered world, taking things elsewhere in time and space, but now it also drops things off.<line></line>All this was a thousand years ago.<line></line><line></line><line></line>The Nine Hundred collapsed shortly after the fate of the world was more or less resolved, as if the force that brought them together was no longer interested in them. Some of the Nine Hundred continued to restore the world, some became tyrannical overlords of individual shards, but most vanished, picking up their lives where they left off.<line></line><line></line>The shards for the most part remained totally isolated from the other pieces for some six or seven hundred years, developing very different cultures and histories. The Banestorm helped matters along by dropping large deposits of people occasionally onto a shard, and vanishing, These people no worse for their experience.<line></line><line></line>The Shard of Megalos is one of these. Shortly after the Banestorm, a dozen small towns and villages of medieval Europe, Asia, and the middle east were unceremoniously scattered across Megalos overnight. Humans came to the Shattered world.<line></line><line></line>The Humans thrived upon the shard and quickly grew to dominate all of Megalos. Particularly the Norman and Saxon Catholic Crusaders who conquered most of the eastern and northern lands. The Asian people were all but pushed off the shard, and have retreated to the other side of nearly impassible mountains to the northwest. The Moslem people have dug in to the south and have built their empire there, strong enough to defend their borders from the sporadic crusades over the centuries. On the other side of a great desert lies the unexplored Land of Djinns. Little is known about them.<line></line><line></line>Since that time there has been several important historical events: The time of the sorcerers (great mages far more powerful than those currently alive), The creation of the capitol city of Megalos by defeating the great dragon "Longflame", the continuous crusades against the moslem empire, the successful illithid takeover, and the great war against the illithids... which ended less than one hundred years ago.<line></line><line></line>The Sorcerers were a group of mages, who apparently could not die. Their power is far greater than anything humanly possible. They ravaged the shard of megalos shortly after human cities began to appear through the whimsical power of the banestorm. They are suspected of pre-dating human (or even elven) history. They fought great battles against each other, using unbelievable magical power. they disappeared from all awareness roughly 1,000 years ago.<line></line><line></line>The city, country, and shard of Megalos were so named when the Korthos Megalos (a warrior-mage of honor and valor) challenged the dragon Longflame (a dragon of vast power that was laying waste to much of the shard) to a battle in order to lure it into a magical time trap, sacrificing his own life in the process. The people of the shard named Megalos after him in his honor, and also made his descendants their emperors. There have been 32 emperors and one empress since that time. Most have ruled wisely, and the people of megalos consider the emperor to be of nearly divine power, NOT to be questioned.<line></line><line></line>The crusades are now into their seventeenth round... each time, the victories on both sides have been minimal. there is currently no crusade going on, due to the recent recovery from the illithid invasion. but swords are being sharpened, and there is no love lost between catholics and muslims... The great truce is wearing thin.<line></line><line></line>The illithid invasion (an invasion by various squidlike creatures of great psychic power) held the entire shard in it's grasp for over twenty years... the mindflayers, mindtwisters, beholders, bales, and various creatures completely subjugated the intelligent races on the shard. The people of megalos did not stand a chance. The "squids" were defeated and driven off the shard by the emperor Jhona Megalos. He used unorthodox magic, rebellious mindtwisters, and guerrilla tactics to defeat them. the purge on the illithids was ruthless and effective. All illithid races are now used as basically "the boogyman". The hint of one being around is enough to create a lynch mob. Unfortunately since humans with psionic powers were considered to have allied with the illithids, all psionics fall into this category of "kill on sight". Even magic spells that deal with mind reading and mind control are considered to be heinously evil. Necromancy is not even a close second. <line></line><line></line>Yes, the people would rather see dead bodies walking around, than have somebody use a spell to read or control their mind.<line></line><line></line>The campaign is set within the city of Megalos, Capital of the Christian Empire. Home of the Emperor and focus of trade and commerce with the rest of the shard, and rarely, other shards as well. Most adventures will be set within or near Megalos city at first, and all players are native to this shard. Since Megalos is somewhat cosmopolitan in outlook, this won't pose too big of a problem."></span><span> </span></ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-69976776770054428502011-03-19T13:38:00.000-07:002011-03-19T13:38:24.017-07:00The Order of St Michael (Michaelites)<ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;">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<span class="__wave_paste" data-wave-annotations="" data-wave-xml="The order of St. Michael.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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. <line></line>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.<line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line> Honesty, integrity, courage, and martial skill are highly regarded. <line></line><line></line> 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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line><line></line>The laws and punishments are fairly simple. The punishments often fit the crime, and there are no set precedents.<line></line><line></line>COMMON LAW<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line>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. <line></line><line></line>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.<line></line><line></line><line></line>GAME TERMS<line></line>To be a Michaelite is a 31 point advantage.<line></line>This encompasses:<line></line>-Police powers at the 15 point level.<line></line>-Patron, The order of St. Michael: 20 points<line></line>-Status level equal to 3rd level: 15 points<line></line>-Michaelite ring: 1 point<line></line><line></line>-Hazardous Duty: -20 points"></span><span> </span></ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-16554943461224642132011-03-19T10:42:00.000-07:002011-03-19T10:42:23.674-07:00Player RosterThe entire group works essentially as irregular soldiers for the Emperor of Megalos<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
James is playing a fully sapient and free willed Golem. A stone construct, that everyone thinks is owned by the Michaelite. Everyone is wrong.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
My wife Jenn is playing a Gryphon Rider, shy child of a noble family, technically she outranks the Michaelite, but I don't think she knows that. Once a Gryphon imprints, it imprints for life. The emperor actively recruits the Gryphon riders, and considers them a great military asset. (Jenn's a plumber, goes into detail on character background and history, and spends a great deal of time plumbing the depths of her backstory, she's now written a novella on her dysfunctional relationship with her characters disapproving mother.)<br />
<br />
Errin is playing a Firemage. Serving the empire seemed to be a good way to start a few fires without going to jail.<br />
<br />
Mike is playing an Orc, well technically he's playing a Jaegermonster straight from Girl Genius Its just the stats are pretty much the same.. With trained by a master advantages and impressive combat skills with his spear. He served the emperor. "Cos I get to kep my spear in de city, yah? Plus Fight lotz yah? Lots ov de Fighting!"<br />
<br />
Dave is a Weretiger. Fully in control of his changing, Serving as a scout, tracker, and assassin for the empire.<br />
<br />
Tonja is playing a Gythyanki (which technically did not exist in my world until she wanted to play one) she comes from another universe, as does the Jaegermonster via banestorm. And she's the only member of the group that did not start as a soldier or knight of Megalos. So far the city thinks of her as a tall attractive goblin. Since she's playing a warrior-monk, she's pretty irritated by this Also since she's playing a warrior monk, she's presenting a serene indifference.<br />
<br />
<br />
The First session has the players except Tonja all hanging out in the Diamond Spider Tavern (from the citybook series)... they know each other, but have never worked together.<br />
<br />
The Githyanki steps out of the harbor nets, and walks with surprising purpose straight to the tavern. She explains that she is hunting an Illithid. As the land of Megalos (in this campaign) has had some very bad experiences with a mindtwister invasion, war, occupation, and eventually liberation and eradication, This gets the full attention of the entire tavern..<br />
<br />
The Michaelite uses his ring to magically request guidance, and is told to round up a small press gang, find and kill the Illithid at once. All the soldiers (the other players) within earshot of the ring, immediately volunteer.<br />
<br />
And this is where the adventures begin.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-73430253584545402962011-03-19T08:54:00.000-07:002011-03-19T10:57:20.578-07:00Bedtime story.<ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"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 </span><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">shard</span><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> lit the sky. So bright that a being could be blinded by looking at it."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"The Sun, Grandpapa?"</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Yes."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"There's no such thing."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"><a name='more'></a></span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"There was, once, before the Elves made the great mistake. The Orcs and Kobolds were considered vermin by many of the 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 the Banestorm.</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"But the users of magic began to sense a deep foreboding, a quiet dread that shadowed everything. A premonition of disaster. The greatest mages, sorcerers and spellcasters of the earth, and from other places as well, began to gather together at an unnamed place of power. It was as if the earth itself was calling them. This gathering of wizards became known as the nine hundred, and the power they possessed was vast...</span> <span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"</span><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">Zarktoff was one of the nine hundred, wasn't he, Grandpapa? He put a spell on our Shard so we could live here, didn't he?"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Yes he did, but that was later."</span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"></span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> "</span><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">When the Banestorm was released, it grew more powerful than even the most imaginative of the Elves could have predicted, and it destroyed the world. The earth was shattered into a thousand pieces. The Oceans boiled away, and all the races and creatures suffered.</span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"The nine hundred were very powerful, but even they could not restore the world, nor could they destroy the Banestorm. They did manage to save the planet by using the Storm itself to shift the remaining shards of the planet into another dimension, where the laws of nature were somewhat different. There was air and light and mist everywhere, and the pieces of the shattered world floated in it, like dust in the air"</span> <span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"That's where we are now, isn't it? In the Aether."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Yes it is...Do you want to hear the rest of the story?"</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Yes Grandpapa."</span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">
</span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"></span> <span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Then stop interrupting me.</span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Then began a process of reconstruction that lasted many years. The Nine Hundred created many great shields of magic that protected the individual shards, and spells that restored the seasons, and night and day. They moved the larger shards into permanent positions, and sent smaller shards in orbits around them."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"What's an orbit?"</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Er, like a top, only bigger."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Oh."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"They managed to limit the power of the Banestorm by shifting much of it into many other dimensions, but this was not a perfect solution. The Banestorm still travels through the remains of the shattered world, taking things elsewhere in time and space, but now it also drops things off. All of this was a thousand years ago.</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"The Nine Hundred collapsed shortly after the fate of the world was more or less resolved, as if the force that brought them together was no longer interested in them. Some of the Nine Hundred continued to restore the world, some became tyrannical overlords of individual shards, but most vanished, picking up their lives where they left off."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Where did they go Grandpapa?"</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"No one knows, child, no one knows.</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"The shards for the most part remained totally isolated from the other pieces for some six or seven hundred years, developing very different cultures and histories. The Banestorm helped matters along by dropping large deposits of people once in a while onto a </span><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">shard</span><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">, and vanishing, These people no worse for their experience.</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Our Shard of Megalos is one of these. several hundred years ago, a dozen small towns and villages of Earth were scattered across Megalos overnight. Humans came to the Shattered world. And Lizard men, and Giants, and Monsters, so many others" </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">
</span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"></span> <span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"That's us isn't it? Humans?"</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"What did I say about interrupting?"</span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">
</span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"></span> <span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Oh, yeah." </span> <span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> "The Humans thrived upon the shard and quickly grew to dominate all of Megalos. Particularly the Glorious Crusaders of the Church, who conquered most of the eastern and northern lands. the strange Asian people were all but pushed off the shard, and have retreated to the other side of great, impassible mountains to the northwest. The Moslem people have dug in to the south and have built their own empire there, strong enough to defend their borders from our great crusades over the centuries. To the West is the Golden Plains, and farther, the </span><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">Orclands</span><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">, and on the other side of the great desert lies the unexplored Land of Djinns. Little is known about them.</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"We travel between the shards, a little, To Tejas, and the rim Isles that </span><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">orbit</span><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> us, but the Illithids were here before our planet burst into the Ether and they hate us for destroying their civilization. It is dangerous to leave the shard of Megalos, and only the foolish do so."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"And that is all I will tell you tonight, child, go to sleep."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Awwwwwww....Goodnight, Grandpapa."</span> </ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y"> </span></ul><ul style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic;" x="y">"Goodnight child."<span class="__wave_paste" data-wave-annotations="0,424,style%2FfontStyle,italic:428,451,style%2FfontStyle,italic:453,459,style%2FfontStyle,italic:463,488,style%2FfontStyle,italic:492,989,style%2FfontStyle,italic:993,1413,style%2FfontStyle,italic:1417,1544,style%2FfontStyle,italic:1548,1585,style%2FfontStyle,italic:1589,1853,style%2FfontStyle,italic:1857,2276,style%2FfontStyle,italic:2280,2332,style%2FfontStyle,italic:2336,2392,style%2FfontStyle,italic:2396,2412,style%2FfontStyle,italic:2416,2444,style%2FfontStyle,italic:2448,2762,style%2FfontStyle,italic:2766,2785,style%2FfontStyle,italic:2789,2819,style%2FfontStyle,italic:2823,2828,style%2FfontStyle,italic:2832,3156,style%2FfontStyle,italic:3160,3503,style%2FfontStyle,italic:3507,3537,style%2FfontStyle,italic:3541,3576,style%2FfontStyle,italic:3580,3905,style%2FfontStyle,italic:3909,4152,style%2FfontStyle,italic:4156,4185,style%2FfontStyle,italic:4189,4225,style%2FfontStyle,italic:4229,4241,style%2FfontStyle,italic:4245,5192,style%2FfontStyle,italic:5198,5260,style%2FfontStyle,italic:5264,5299,style%2FfontStyle,italic:5303,5321,style%2FfontStyle,italic:" data-wave-xml=""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."<line></line><line></line>"The Sun, Grandpapa?"<line></line><line></line>"Yes."<line></line><line></line> "There's no such thing."<line></line><line></line>"There was, once, before the Elves made the great mistake. The Orcs and Kobolds were considered vermin by many of the 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 the Banestorm.<line></line><line></line>"But the users of magic began to sense a deep foreboding, a quiet dread that shadowed everything. A premonition of disaster. The greatest mages, sorcerers and spellcasters of the earth, and from other places as well, began to gather together at an unnamed place of power. It was as if the earth itself was calling them. This gathering of wizards became known as the nine hundred, and the power they possessed was vast...<line></line><line></line> "Zarktoff was one of the nine hundred, wasn't he, Grandpapa? He put a spell on our Shard so we could live here, didn't he?"<line></line><line></line> "Yes he did, but that was later."<line></line><line></line> "When the Banestorm was released, it grew more powerful than even the most imaginative of the Elves could have predicted, and it destroyed the world. The earth was shattered into a thousand pieces. The Oceans boiled away, and all the races and creatures suffered.<line></line><line></line>"The nine hundred were very powerful, but even they could not restore the world, nor could they destroy the Banestorm. They did manage to save the planet by using the Storm itself to shift the remaining shards of the planet into another dimension, where the laws of nature were somewhat different. There was air and light and mist everywhere, and the pieces of the shattered world floated in it, like dust in the air"<line></line><line></line> "That's where we are now, isn't it? In the Aether."<line></line><line></line>"Yes it is...Do you want to hear the rest of the story?"<line></line><line></line>"Yes Grandpapa."<line></line><line></line>"Then stop interrupting me."<line></line><line></line>"Then began a process of reconstruction that lasted many years. The Nine Hundred created many great shields of magic that protected the individual shards, and spells that restored the seasons, and night and day. They moved the larger shards into permanent positions, and sent smaller shards in orbits around them."<line></line><line></line>"What's an orbit?"<line></line><line></line>"Er, like a top, only bigger."<line></line><line></line>"Oh."<line></line><line></line>"They managed to limit the power of the Banestorm by shifting much of it into many other dimensions, but this was not a perfect solution. The Banestorm still travels through the remains of the shattered world, taking things elsewhere in time and space, but now it also drops things off. All of this was a thousand years ago.<line></line><line></line>"The Nine Hundred collapsed shortly after the fate of the world was more or less resolved, as if the force that brought them together was no longer interested in them. Some of the Nine Hundred continued to restore the world, some became tyrannical overlords of individual shards, but most vanished, picking up their lives where they left off."<line></line><line></line>"Where did they go Grandpapa?"<line></line><line></line>"No one knows, child, no one knows.<line></line><line></line>"The shards for the most part remained totally isolated from the other pieces for some six or seven hundred years, developing very different cultures and histories. The Banestorm helped matters along by dropping large deposits of people once in a while onto a shard, and vanishing, These people no worse for their experience.<line></line><line></line>"Our Shard of Megalos is one of these. several hundred years ago, a dozen small towns and villages of Earth were scattered across Megalos overnight. Humans came to the Shattered world. And Lizard men, and Giants, and Monsters, so many others" <line></line><line></line>"That's us isn't it? Humans?"<line></line><line></line>"What did I say about interrupting?"<line></line><line></line>"Oh, yeah." <line></line><line></line> "The Humans thrived upon the shard and quickly grew to dominate all of Megalos. Particularly the Glorious Crusaders of the Church, who conquered most of the eastern and northern lands. the strange Asian people were all but pushed off the shard, and have retreated to the other side of great, impassible mountains to the northwest. The Moslem people have dug in to the south and have built their own empire there, strong enough to defend their borders from our great crusades over the centuries. To the West is the Golden Plains, and farther, the Orclands, and on the other side of the great desert lies the unexplored Land of Djinns. Little is known about them.<line></line><line></line>"We travel between the shards, a little, To Tejas, and the rim Isles that orbit us, but the Illithids were here before our planet burst into the Ether and they hate us for destroying their civilization. It is dangerous to leave the shard of Megalos, and only the foolish do so."<line></line><line></line><line></line>"And that is all I will tell you tonight, child, go to sleep."<line></line><line></line>"Awwwwwww....Goodnight, Grandpapa."<line></line><line></line>"Goodnight child.""></span> </span></ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8757234142996660605.post-10261103437136295762011-03-19T08:30:00.000-07:002011-03-19T08:30:43.985-07:00First post, explaining the planThis 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.<br />
<br />
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.<br />
<br />
I will post both in game tales, and out of game asides (for game mechanics, general commentary, and the occasional explanation.)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10668031581059478119noreply@blogger.com0