Whilst my PC is broken, I've reflected upon the last couple of weeks I've spent with friends, playing tabletop RPGs.. through the internet. The world that my DM has created can be interesting and involving, however, it lacks a special touch to make it all come together. Logic with magic, filling the world with lore, etc. It's just my preference and it annoys me that I can't fulfil it, so, I'm doing it here, damn it. Yes, all of the below generally follows history, lore and otherwise that are present in the game. Sorta. Kinda.
I had an idea to make an RPG about an adventure in the province of Andor, so this thread will serve as my notepad as I try to develop the world, the adventure, the lore and the general ideas that are floating about in my head into something comprehensible.
Or I might just abandon the site again and pop up again in 8 months for no apparent reason. :3
Magic
For the magic to have some sort of logic is a priority of mine. Each field of magic must have it's own "idea" or "theme" behind it, and spells in this field must henceforth follow the before mentioned themes and ideas. Raw magical energy from any of the fields may either accidentally or purposefully "infect" objects, locations, etc in the world that create artifacts of various power, and each field of magic must have some sort of restriction, weakness, etc.
Lore
History
People
I had an idea to make an RPG about an adventure in the province of Andor, so this thread will serve as my notepad as I try to develop the world, the adventure, the lore and the general ideas that are floating about in my head into something comprehensible.
Or I might just abandon the site again and pop up again in 8 months for no apparent reason. :3
Magic
For the magic to have some sort of logic is a priority of mine. Each field of magic must have it's own "idea" or "theme" behind it, and spells in this field must henceforth follow the before mentioned themes and ideas. Raw magical energy from any of the fields may either accidentally or purposefully "infect" objects, locations, etc in the world that create artifacts of various power, and each field of magic must have some sort of restriction, weakness, etc.
Name: Whispering Hollows,
Key themes: To corrupt, reveal secrets, overarching plans, dance with shadows
Description: The Whispering Hollows is described as less of a plane of magic and more-so as another plane of existence altogether, with only characters of certain races being able to utilize this field of magic in any form, and depending on the character's race, how they interact whenever this field of magic is utilized or otherwise included in the current scenario. This division of the races is explained as races that have interacted with death or the demonic realms process information, emotions, etc differently than those who have not, on a neurological level rather than a characterized one. Races that currently can use this field are,
Demons
Drow Elves
Soulbound
Dragons
Undead
This field could easily be characterized as a black widow more than anything. Subtle, affecting opinions, creating illusions, creating a web of deceit for their own personal gain - and this could be reflected in the nature of artifacts, spells, or otherwise. Spells should be considered illusions, as this field of magic reaches into another which contains the metaphorical, and as such allows people who wield it to manipulate.
Key themes: To corrupt, reveal secrets, overarching plans, dance with shadows
Description: The Whispering Hollows is described as less of a plane of magic and more-so as another plane of existence altogether, with only characters of certain races being able to utilize this field of magic in any form, and depending on the character's race, how they interact whenever this field of magic is utilized or otherwise included in the current scenario. This division of the races is explained as races that have interacted with death or the demonic realms process information, emotions, etc differently than those who have not, on a neurological level rather than a characterized one. Races that currently can use this field are,
Demons
Drow Elves
Soulbound
Dragons
Undead
This field could easily be characterized as a black widow more than anything. Subtle, affecting opinions, creating illusions, creating a web of deceit for their own personal gain - and this could be reflected in the nature of artifacts, spells, or otherwise. Spells should be considered illusions, as this field of magic reaches into another which contains the metaphorical, and as such allows people who wield it to manipulate.
Lore
Within the mountains that surround Barovia, there is a cave that is mentioned within lore. What is odd about this cave is that it is perfect in every respect - the rock is perfectly smooth, it is exactly one by one meter, leading down by approximately 1 meter every 3 meters horizontally.
Inside of this perfected vision of a cave lies a "heart" of the cave, the walls that were granite and fairly soft and workable rock, turn to ultra hard, completely smooth and cold to the touch, coloured ebony black, resembling marble, save for the colour. Inside of the "heart", one can see what one would assume to be the sky - except it is more of a distorted image. Regardless of the weather, the sky always appears as a whirlpool of grey, white and black, as if all the colour in the world was being drained away.
The occupants of this heart are called "The Monolith", a "race" of golems that have seemingly no creator save for each other, their technology strangely sophisticated and yet completely alien, their language ranging from common to a series of clicks that nothing you know of could possibly replicate. These beings achieved what they call "godhood", in which the golems were able to teach each other how to be more intelligent. This led to the rapid development of them as a race, but the alienation from humans and with a complete lack of hormones or guidance in any sense, the priorities of these beings once they could achieve anything began to break away from even self sustainable behaviour. They believe themselves to be truly free and to be able to pursue any cause they wish - and they do. Some golems craft magnificent structures, some golems fight to the death, some golems craft more golems, some golems try to bond golems together and some golems slowly and systematically destroy themselves through self harm.
Inside of this perfected vision of a cave lies a "heart" of the cave, the walls that were granite and fairly soft and workable rock, turn to ultra hard, completely smooth and cold to the touch, coloured ebony black, resembling marble, save for the colour. Inside of the "heart", one can see what one would assume to be the sky - except it is more of a distorted image. Regardless of the weather, the sky always appears as a whirlpool of grey, white and black, as if all the colour in the world was being drained away.
The occupants of this heart are called "The Monolith", a "race" of golems that have seemingly no creator save for each other, their technology strangely sophisticated and yet completely alien, their language ranging from common to a series of clicks that nothing you know of could possibly replicate. These beings achieved what they call "godhood", in which the golems were able to teach each other how to be more intelligent. This led to the rapid development of them as a race, but the alienation from humans and with a complete lack of hormones or guidance in any sense, the priorities of these beings once they could achieve anything began to break away from even self sustainable behaviour. They believe themselves to be truly free and to be able to pursue any cause they wish - and they do. Some golems craft magnificent structures, some golems fight to the death, some golems craft more golems, some golems try to bond golems together and some golems slowly and systematically destroy themselves through self harm.
,
Whilst it could be easily to characterize death as a scary thing, following the theme of logic in magic and the supernatural, the concept of Ouroboros, an infinite cycle of life and death, would be popular among mages, alchemists and otherwise. How death is handled in this world is somewhat like Grim Fandango, whenever a person eventually dies, they are greeted by Death, the keeper of the Ebony Gates. In certain cases, death may prevent someone from passing onto the Wraithlands (the land of the dead) for a variety of given reasons, but they can be categorized into three things, a deal, a bargain, or a curse. A deal is a negotiation with death to act as his sword in the mortal realm, which may include a variety of things. Murdering pesky mages, recovering artifacts that disrupt the balance of life and death, that jazz. A bargain would be something that death desires, and in return he allows you to remain in the mortal world for at least a little while longer. These may be artifacts of power, but, generally, they are "Branches of Life", twigs, branches and such of the World Tree. Lastly, a curse. Whenever a mortal has done something to anger death, disrupt the flow of life and death, fail to complete a task, or anything of that nature, he is cursed, banished from both life and death, hence, becoming undead.
Whilst it could be easily to characterize death as a scary thing, following the theme of logic in magic and the supernatural, the concept of Ouroboros, an infinite cycle of life and death, would be popular among mages, alchemists and otherwise. How death is handled in this world is somewhat like Grim Fandango, whenever a person eventually dies, they are greeted by Death, the keeper of the Ebony Gates. In certain cases, death may prevent someone from passing onto the Wraithlands (the land of the dead) for a variety of given reasons, but they can be categorized into three things, a deal, a bargain, or a curse. A deal is a negotiation with death to act as his sword in the mortal realm, which may include a variety of things. Murdering pesky mages, recovering artifacts that disrupt the balance of life and death, that jazz. A bargain would be something that death desires, and in return he allows you to remain in the mortal world for at least a little while longer. These may be artifacts of power, but, generally, they are "Branches of Life", twigs, branches and such of the World Tree. Lastly, a curse. Whenever a mortal has done something to anger death, disrupt the flow of life and death, fail to complete a task, or anything of that nature, he is cursed, banished from both life and death, hence, becoming undead.
Not only is life and circle, but, creation itself. Death from life, life from death, over and over - everything follows this cycle, even Uhna, the general term for the universe. All known existence is derived from one particular event, the birth of Uhna, which has henceforth came from the death of another universe. However, every cycle has it's protectors, Death guards the ebony gates, Birth, the ivory gates, but who or what could possibly lord over creation itself? The answer is unclear to those on the mortal plane, but tales arise from time to time of heroes summoned to the depths of the universe, to stand before a mighty being, to be tasked with eradicating those who would pose a threat to the natural progression of time. He is outside of creation, meaning that his presence bends light around his form, which fits, because he marks the point by which creation itself ends. He calls himself The Ouroborean.
History
Ages ago, the land and it's people were fractured city-states, towns and villages. There emerged one common belief among the people of Andor and there arose a woman by the name of Lynd, a builder. Her enchanted hammer, incredible strength and unrelenting passion for crafting outdid her peers, the woman soon gained a following of apprentices and practitioners. The woman left the town of Netherwater, to the east, to found the city of Lynd's crown. As she built, more came. Ten followers turned to a hundred, to a thousand - and soon Lynd had a small army of workmen.
Over the course of a decade, Lynd's Crown turned from a town of hardy houses and stores into a true, bustling metropolis. The plazas were adorned with detailed craft work of the artisans that had arisen under Lynd's guidance, the White Palace arose, constructed from marble and gold, the walls of the city were practically a mile high, Lynd's Crown was the centre of trade for the province of Andor as Lynd established her "Order of the Hammer", and with it, the Lyndian theocratic system was born. The Order of the Hammer was originally a instrument that Lynd utilized in order to train the common man into an artisan of great skill, but soon warped into something else. The surrounding people of the towns of Andor cheered and Lynd suddenly had an influx of recruits from the surrounding villages and towns for her army, as the establishment of Order of the Hammer garnered not only nationalist sentiments within the land but additionally, a cult of personality surrounding their holy leader Lynd was starting to form.
The leadership of towns and villages of Andor began to fear. The city began to demand taxes for the protection of Lynd and many lands were left without a ready supply of labour or manpower, due to the massive migration of the gifted and young for Lynd's Crown. As such, this era of strife saw several of the towns simply dying out entirely - the dead husks of what was once civilization dot the land, becoming home to bandits, monsters and unholy phenomenon.
The power of Lynd's crown had reached it's peak, when Lynd gathered a small band of warriors and artisans and set off from the city, to the north, into the land which would now be known as Partou, through what would be known now as Seras. She travelled through Seras, destroying barbarian tribes, highwaymen and darker, before passing through, into Partou proper. She spent five years travelling the land - in that time, she had acted as a missionary and teacher to the civilized towns and villages of Partou. Most of the people here were confused and bewildered by Lynd, for she had no cult of personality here, she had no prestige whatsoever and hence, she left them with little more than her craft.
A town by the name of Partou took to the teachings of Lynd's craft and soon, with the assistance of both Lynd's legendary hammer and the artisans of the town, they had built massive walls surrounding the village, similar to the very same in Lynd's Crown - only that these were thicker by a few hundred meters and taller by a fair measure. The province's people soon migrated to the city of Partou, the walls offering safety for the rich, the rich offering work for the poor, and the poor offering recruits for the practice of Lynd.
And then she was gone. Lynd had left Partou without a trace, leaving only a memory and her hammer. Her men were confused and in despair and soon after, Lynd's Crown would suffer the consequences, squabbling of the rich, the Order of the Hammer not having a purpose nor direction - all of this would resolve itself in a swift, bloody action.
Over the course of a decade, Lynd's Crown turned from a town of hardy houses and stores into a true, bustling metropolis. The plazas were adorned with detailed craft work of the artisans that had arisen under Lynd's guidance, the White Palace arose, constructed from marble and gold, the walls of the city were practically a mile high, Lynd's Crown was the centre of trade for the province of Andor as Lynd established her "Order of the Hammer", and with it, the Lyndian theocratic system was born. The Order of the Hammer was originally a instrument that Lynd utilized in order to train the common man into an artisan of great skill, but soon warped into something else. The surrounding people of the towns of Andor cheered and Lynd suddenly had an influx of recruits from the surrounding villages and towns for her army, as the establishment of Order of the Hammer garnered not only nationalist sentiments within the land but additionally, a cult of personality surrounding their holy leader Lynd was starting to form.
The leadership of towns and villages of Andor began to fear. The city began to demand taxes for the protection of Lynd and many lands were left without a ready supply of labour or manpower, due to the massive migration of the gifted and young for Lynd's Crown. As such, this era of strife saw several of the towns simply dying out entirely - the dead husks of what was once civilization dot the land, becoming home to bandits, monsters and unholy phenomenon.
The power of Lynd's crown had reached it's peak, when Lynd gathered a small band of warriors and artisans and set off from the city, to the north, into the land which would now be known as Partou, through what would be known now as Seras. She travelled through Seras, destroying barbarian tribes, highwaymen and darker, before passing through, into Partou proper. She spent five years travelling the land - in that time, she had acted as a missionary and teacher to the civilized towns and villages of Partou. Most of the people here were confused and bewildered by Lynd, for she had no cult of personality here, she had no prestige whatsoever and hence, she left them with little more than her craft.
A town by the name of Partou took to the teachings of Lynd's craft and soon, with the assistance of both Lynd's legendary hammer and the artisans of the town, they had built massive walls surrounding the village, similar to the very same in Lynd's Crown - only that these were thicker by a few hundred meters and taller by a fair measure. The province's people soon migrated to the city of Partou, the walls offering safety for the rich, the rich offering work for the poor, and the poor offering recruits for the practice of Lynd.
And then she was gone. Lynd had left Partou without a trace, leaving only a memory and her hammer. Her men were confused and in despair and soon after, Lynd's Crown would suffer the consequences, squabbling of the rich, the Order of the Hammer not having a purpose nor direction - all of this would resolve itself in a swift, bloody action.
With the mysterious disappearance of Lynd, a dark cloud fell over the city of Lynd's Crown. For the first time since the creation of the walls, the foundation that Andor stood on was shaken. What would soon follow is a five year period of unrest within the central administration of the province, the growing zealotry for Lynd's teaching reached a new peak and the city essentially divided into two crucial political factions. On one side, led by Archbishop Behlmon, there was the Zealots, who believed that Lynd's coming and the unification of the province was not merely a coincidence, but an act of divinity, further citing the sudden disappearance, the sudden call to action in Partou, her un-natural strength and how quickly a central administration came to dominate the province. They advocated a radical reform, including absorbing the surrounding towns and villages into the Holy Empire of Lynd proper, replacing their often democratic systems with an appointed Baron who would then administrate it, to reform the Order of the Hammer from a following of artisans to an organization composed of elite fighters and paladins that were completely dedicated to the advancement of Lynd's will. Additionally, the purging of heretics who were believed to be weakening the land, further industrial expansion, the establishment of the Templar Order and a plan to build further settlements in Seras.
On the other side however, there were voices that were far more moderate, although without a certified leader, who wished to see decreased central administration in favour of allocating the Army of Lynd's Crown to the often smaller and impoverished villages free of charge to allow their economies to prosper, free trade with foreign nations, free movement to foreigners, allocating resources from the city to further expand the economies of these smaller towns, establishment of a makeshift trial system. They favoured trade with other nations whilst the Zealots prefered a strict hand over the economy and the colonization of other lands.
Battles soon erupted, but without a central leadership for the moderates, the momentum was quickly turned in favour of the Zealots, as bands of rebels exiled themselves from the city in fear that the militant and harsh Zealots would simply exterminate them. The Zealots had won, but, tensions were high. The rebel fighters continued to fight on via guerilla tactics, hit and runs on supplies and within the city, families grieved for their dead, riots and small-scale brawls would be commonplace, however dissent was often treated with a quick, unceremonious execution.
On the other side however, there were voices that were far more moderate, although without a certified leader, who wished to see decreased central administration in favour of allocating the Army of Lynd's Crown to the often smaller and impoverished villages free of charge to allow their economies to prosper, free trade with foreign nations, free movement to foreigners, allocating resources from the city to further expand the economies of these smaller towns, establishment of a makeshift trial system. They favoured trade with other nations whilst the Zealots prefered a strict hand over the economy and the colonization of other lands.
Battles soon erupted, but without a central leadership for the moderates, the momentum was quickly turned in favour of the Zealots, as bands of rebels exiled themselves from the city in fear that the militant and harsh Zealots would simply exterminate them. The Zealots had won, but, tensions were high. The rebel fighters continued to fight on via guerilla tactics, hit and runs on supplies and within the city, families grieved for their dead, riots and small-scale brawls would be commonplace, however dissent was often treated with a quick, unceremonious execution.
The peace that the zealotry established was fragile at best, and non-existent at worst, with various rebel groups still operating in and around the country. The production of the city fell, taxes fell, a lot of the recruits that the city had seen felt disillusioned and soon deserted the country entirely, pushing forward into Seras, on the Lyndian path, whilst the city's new administration struggled to establish any meaningful law and order within the city. When the Vermillion Empire first invaded, Lynd's Crown was clueless, various villages accepting the invaders openly and communications just stopped, seeding a great deal of confusion in the land. Within three months, half of Andor was occupied by the Vermillion Empire's legion, a siege camp was worryingly close to the walls of the city. Defeat seemed inevitable, the enemy's armies had been bolstered by the influx of rebel groups supporting them, the morale of the Order of the Hammer was the lowest it had ever been, leading to widespread desertion.
And then, the Vermillion Empire suddenly left. The siege camp emptied, leaving basic fortifications intact, with their rebel allies confused and bewildered at how they could suddenly disappear. Over the course of a few weeks, sightings of the invasion force of the Vermillion Empire dwindled, from armies, to large bands, to scouting parties, to nothing at all. The city of Lynd's Crown roared in celebration, fireworks celebrating the miracle of Lynd, her divine intervention frightening the invaders to their core - leaving them to run like the cowards they were! Morale soared almost immediately and the end of the invasion marked the beginning of a golden era for Andor.
In reality, the truth was very different to what the governing body had spouted. Lynd hadn't acted at all - in the dead of night, the Archbishop met with a man, donning a black and gold threaded cloak, emerald green eyes peering into him. The Archbishop was offered a dark deal, the loyalty of his kingdom. the life of his beloved and the souls of every one of his subjects, in return of eternal life and great power.
He agreed. He performed a ritual, sacrificing his wife, in return using her soul to sustain his life. If he was to ever turn his back on the Vermillion Empire, the soul of his wife would be unbound, killing him and haunting the land, alongside every single human being that had died within the borders of Andor since.
And then, the Vermillion Empire suddenly left. The siege camp emptied, leaving basic fortifications intact, with their rebel allies confused and bewildered at how they could suddenly disappear. Over the course of a few weeks, sightings of the invasion force of the Vermillion Empire dwindled, from armies, to large bands, to scouting parties, to nothing at all. The city of Lynd's Crown roared in celebration, fireworks celebrating the miracle of Lynd, her divine intervention frightening the invaders to their core - leaving them to run like the cowards they were! Morale soared almost immediately and the end of the invasion marked the beginning of a golden era for Andor.
In reality, the truth was very different to what the governing body had spouted. Lynd hadn't acted at all - in the dead of night, the Archbishop met with a man, donning a black and gold threaded cloak, emerald green eyes peering into him. The Archbishop was offered a dark deal, the loyalty of his kingdom. the life of his beloved and the souls of every one of his subjects, in return of eternal life and great power.
He agreed. He performed a ritual, sacrificing his wife, in return using her soul to sustain his life. If he was to ever turn his back on the Vermillion Empire, the soul of his wife would be unbound, killing him and haunting the land, alongside every single human being that had died within the borders of Andor since.
People
Ihu Devocii
Ihu Devocii was a notable shadow-mage who was involved in the seige of Lynd's Crown on the side of Aurelius and his rebel army. Will fill all of this in tomorrow.
Ihu Devocii was a notable shadow-mage who was involved in the seige of Lynd's Crown on the side of Aurelius and his rebel army. Will fill all of this in tomorrow.