YEAR 0-Recorded History begins.
YEAR 115-Plague sweeps across the super continent Caranarth.
YEAR 248-Warlike human tribe called the Aldear take over western Caranarth.
YEAR 249-The evil city of Tarthel founded in the east.
YEAR 258-Tarthel blight reaches the Great River.
YEAR 259-Tarthelish raiders sack the ancient city of Respit.
Aldearans retaliate by razing Poulas.
Great River War begins.
YEAR 348-Zan born.
YEAR 362-Zan's family killed by Tarthelish inquisitors. Begins magic studies.
YEAR 366-General Larthim battles Tarthelish hoarde to a stalemate at Broshnir.
YEAR 367-Achuak Kothar(the Green Demon)destroys General Larthim's forces at Glinil.
YEAR 369-Informal truce broken by Aldearan mage Zan in Tarthel.
YEAR 374-Tarthelish forces defeated. Great River War ends 115 years after it began.
YEAR 379-Weaving old and terrible magic Zan destroys himself,begins Age of Sunder.
YEAR 1 of the 2nd Age-Caranarth splits,half population perishes.Aldearan line ends.
YEAR 36-Disease and famine rampant. Permanent settlements begin to spring up.
YEAR 38-Mages blamed for Age of Sunder. Spellbane War begins.
YEAR 134-Mages construct Vunderbilt as magical fortress.
YEAR 137-Durgeddin begins constructing Khundrukar.
YEAR 142-Spellbane War ends.
Straagor founded.
2nd Age ends.
YEAR 1 of the 3rd Age-Xeptor plunges into civil war.
YEAR 23-Staagor moved north and Old Town founded in a deluge.
YEAR 57-Kevril Tervish War Priest of Wee Jas crowned first Alabaster Cup winner.
YEAR 58-Kevril Tervish drowned in Del Ron for heresy.
YEAR 63-Achuak Kothar sides with Faroril Ormarorn ending civil war in Xeptor.
Ormarorn crowned Emperor.
YEAR 115-Zan belongings gathered then scattered and Evertree created in Tyrell.
YEAR 129-Northern peoples of Straag found Farnoth and begin trade with lower realm.
YEAR 222-Valen Vexx born in Erelhei-Cinlu.
YEAR 278-Brother Helgar pilgrimages Wolfguard brings religion to Nerom.
YEAR 398-Fazu comes to Luxor forest.
YEAR 407-Achuak Kethend born to Achuak Kothar and Voristrix Miirik
YEAR 433-Cornelius Wallace steals Unger's coin purse.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Creation and Timeline
Chaos? maybe but that would be someplace would it not. From where did it all come.
Who knows but the popular belief is just as good as any theory.
They may not know themselves, they just always were. Constant,forever,immortal things that they are. Eternal strife, with no signs of wavering, the four sides in their various incarnations good, law, chaos, and evil. No one side ever gaining the advantage and no one side would. The silliness of it all couldn't continue. How long had it already gone on? Who knows, who could remember.
And so it came to pass, The "Cessation of Futile Aggression". From now on actions will have consequence, secrets will be kept, and none of it will be in futility. It will all be possible by proxy.
Moradin the all father annealed Chaos, made if malleable beneath his hammer. Blasting it in the forges of creation and brought forth the universe, everything. Hammering against the anvil of Law and thus became Law.
Corellon Larethian and Gruumsh, bitter rivals and the first to place their pawns into the fray, the Elves and the Orcs. Then came the Dwarves and Giants. The earliest battles were the bloodiest and most brutal. Very soon, almost immediately there was need of Nerull and his talents, Boccob came soon after and brought magic to the battlefield. It all became very stagnant and not much different than what was before. The Gods came together one last time and created beings of perfect balance with as much capacity for good as for evil, for law as chaos. The humans, neutral things, came. With them they brought hunger and impatience, but most important free will. Once again, the Gods began to act through their creations, to spread peace, love, war, hate, and tyranny. And then came the other gods each bringing there own charges, creations and dogmas and eventually it all evolved into an elaborate game and the great wheel of time was set into motion.
Who knows but the popular belief is just as good as any theory.
They may not know themselves, they just always were. Constant,forever,immortal things that they are. Eternal strife, with no signs of wavering, the four sides in their various incarnations good, law, chaos, and evil. No one side ever gaining the advantage and no one side would. The silliness of it all couldn't continue. How long had it already gone on? Who knows, who could remember.
And so it came to pass, The "Cessation of Futile Aggression". From now on actions will have consequence, secrets will be kept, and none of it will be in futility. It will all be possible by proxy.
Moradin the all father annealed Chaos, made if malleable beneath his hammer. Blasting it in the forges of creation and brought forth the universe, everything. Hammering against the anvil of Law and thus became Law.
Corellon Larethian and Gruumsh, bitter rivals and the first to place their pawns into the fray, the Elves and the Orcs. Then came the Dwarves and Giants. The earliest battles were the bloodiest and most brutal. Very soon, almost immediately there was need of Nerull and his talents, Boccob came soon after and brought magic to the battlefield. It all became very stagnant and not much different than what was before. The Gods came together one last time and created beings of perfect balance with as much capacity for good as for evil, for law as chaos. The humans, neutral things, came. With them they brought hunger and impatience, but most important free will. Once again, the Gods began to act through their creations, to spread peace, love, war, hate, and tyranny. And then came the other gods each bringing there own charges, creations and dogmas and eventually it all evolved into an elaborate game and the great wheel of time was set into motion.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
KANGOR JUNGLE
Lying between the Blasting Desert and the Tranquil Terror is the vast Jungle of Kangor and the river it was named for. Known for oppressive heat and max humidity year round. Bordered on the west by the Chimera Mountains, the north by the Blasting Desert and Warriorforge Plains, the east by the Ragewaste Swamp, and finally the south by the Tranquil Terror, the Kangor is 500,000 square miles of will testing, equatorial jungle.
Several rumors, folkloric tales,and pure experiences about the place exist. Some about lost civilizations, giant creatures that defy imagination, and mostly about treasures untold. What is truly known about the place is no less fantastic.
Inside the jungle resides a tribe of half orc that swears no allegiance to lord or king of the realm. The way through the jungle is rife with hazards, natural and otherwise, which is not aided by the tribe that suffers no encroachment into there lands. Wealth untold is said to exist in the jungle and in point of fact several fortunes have been made by the most hearty and stalwart. Many more, however, have been lost by the foolish and unprepared.
One would ask why go there at all? A great many natural resources for one reason, gold, silver, and naturally occurring diamonds and gems round out the most desirable of these. Another reason would be on the other side lies Vunderbilt. A difficult journey but many risk it to get to the magical epicenter of Caldor. Care should be taken so as not deplete ones resources in the jungle for what awaits on the other side is a difficult and arduous journey through the Tranquil Terror.
The eastern reaches to the Kangor hold the Ragewaste Swamp, where the confluence of the Ragerush and Kangor Rivers inundate the land. The deluge is known to hold a lost city of wealth untold, few have risked the trek and fewer have reached it and fewer still have returned to share their tales.
The Kangor River flows from the Chimera Mountains to Dilfor Lake through the swamp and into the sea. The river is the life blood of the region. Means of food, water and travel to the indigenous population. Jianquieth people, an elven population are the primary residents of the jungle. They are for the most part more forgiving and hospitable than the Orc clans and the Dar.
The Dar, are the Half Orc tribe that lay claim to jungle and all in it. Brutish and powerful, they have proved more than a match against the outside forces of King Cornwallis and his knights. On the inside, however, they have achieved nothing more that a quiet stalemate with the elves and other inhabitants of the jungle. Primarily since they share many common social mores.
For those inside the jungle it is home, those outside whose goal is to take from it it's riches or conquer the region or merely travel its spans, it is seen as a nearly indomitable foe. The jungle is the jungle, dangerous and beautiful, nurturing and lethal, nature at its finest.
Several rumors, folkloric tales,and pure experiences about the place exist. Some about lost civilizations, giant creatures that defy imagination, and mostly about treasures untold. What is truly known about the place is no less fantastic.
Inside the jungle resides a tribe of half orc that swears no allegiance to lord or king of the realm. The way through the jungle is rife with hazards, natural and otherwise, which is not aided by the tribe that suffers no encroachment into there lands. Wealth untold is said to exist in the jungle and in point of fact several fortunes have been made by the most hearty and stalwart. Many more, however, have been lost by the foolish and unprepared.
One would ask why go there at all? A great many natural resources for one reason, gold, silver, and naturally occurring diamonds and gems round out the most desirable of these. Another reason would be on the other side lies Vunderbilt. A difficult journey but many risk it to get to the magical epicenter of Caldor. Care should be taken so as not deplete ones resources in the jungle for what awaits on the other side is a difficult and arduous journey through the Tranquil Terror.
The eastern reaches to the Kangor hold the Ragewaste Swamp, where the confluence of the Ragerush and Kangor Rivers inundate the land. The deluge is known to hold a lost city of wealth untold, few have risked the trek and fewer have reached it and fewer still have returned to share their tales.
The Kangor River flows from the Chimera Mountains to Dilfor Lake through the swamp and into the sea. The river is the life blood of the region. Means of food, water and travel to the indigenous population. Jianquieth people, an elven population are the primary residents of the jungle. They are for the most part more forgiving and hospitable than the Orc clans and the Dar.
The Dar, are the Half Orc tribe that lay claim to jungle and all in it. Brutish and powerful, they have proved more than a match against the outside forces of King Cornwallis and his knights. On the inside, however, they have achieved nothing more that a quiet stalemate with the elves and other inhabitants of the jungle. Primarily since they share many common social mores.
For those inside the jungle it is home, those outside whose goal is to take from it it's riches or conquer the region or merely travel its spans, it is seen as a nearly indomitable foe. The jungle is the jungle, dangerous and beautiful, nurturing and lethal, nature at its finest.
Caldor, The World Around You.
Every so I often I will try to add a tidbit of info on the world around you, be it a lil bit of folklore, a region, a rumor, political turmoil. I am attempting to make Caldor a living breathing place. Something more than a setting but your world, a character in the game all its own. So I'll try to inject some realism into a knowledge base. Ask any American school kid where the Mississippi River is and there is a real good chance he could tell you. Now pose that same question to a European school kid and I'd wager there is a fairly good chance they could do the same. So not to put to fine a point on it this will be primarily anecdotal knowledge.
Chess Comes to the Game.
As often happens I'm struck by something that happens in the game. Something I feel deserves special recognition. More than a die roll. Mostly role playing genius. A clever solution to a problem, of these Mordek has several. Playing your character sheet in manner that I call "to the bone." Meaning even when inconvenient or uncomfortable the character does something completely in character, Most recently a spell, shield other, cast by the priest in that circumstance (that... was no bar fight) was pure role playing gold. There have been far more examples than I could possibly list here, my point is I have never been comfortable with assigning ad hoc XP. I feel it is to subjective, because this guy is 3rd level should he get more or less xp than this guy for performing a similar deed. I don't like it and to be honest I have a difficult time keeping track of all your heroic deeds and what they are worth.
One system of reward that I am familiar and like is in Chess. In chess notation, a remarkable move, an astounding move is rewarded with an exclamation point and these are worth a number of master's points. I am not sure the exact point value but just know that it is worth some points on a chess player's path to becoming a master.
I was thinking of incorporating a similar system into the game it won't be much but know that if the present level of game play continues it won't take long to acquire a great many exclamation points. I was thinking that 250 xp an exclamation point would be a good jumping off point.
Now before you all roll your eyes, I offer this for your consideration. Let us suppose that you can bank them. Keep the ! in reserve until you have need of them. Let me explain, Let's say you bank your ! and lets say that 10 such ! are worth a skill and 20 are worth a feat. So where is the need? you ask. For example, Let us suppose that Dunis Blueshoes is banking his ! to acquire a "borrow from your friends without them caring" feat.(purely hypothetical. The feat does not exist Mordek) Along the way he is involved in a man hunt and after a lengthy battle he falls 200 experience points shy of 6th level and all of the benefits it would confer. Dunis cries out to the xp wielding god and cashes in an !. Ta da, Dunis has meritoriously attained 6th level and is only 1 exclamation point lower than he was from his goal of the bfyfwtc feat.
Seemed like a good Idea to me but as always I'll leave the final decision up to you.
One system of reward that I am familiar and like is in Chess. In chess notation, a remarkable move, an astounding move is rewarded with an exclamation point and these are worth a number of master's points. I am not sure the exact point value but just know that it is worth some points on a chess player's path to becoming a master.
I was thinking of incorporating a similar system into the game it won't be much but know that if the present level of game play continues it won't take long to acquire a great many exclamation points. I was thinking that 250 xp an exclamation point would be a good jumping off point.
Now before you all roll your eyes, I offer this for your consideration. Let us suppose that you can bank them. Keep the ! in reserve until you have need of them. Let me explain, Let's say you bank your ! and lets say that 10 such ! are worth a skill and 20 are worth a feat. So where is the need? you ask. For example, Let us suppose that Dunis Blueshoes is banking his ! to acquire a "borrow from your friends without them caring" feat.(purely hypothetical. The feat does not exist Mordek) Along the way he is involved in a man hunt and after a lengthy battle he falls 200 experience points shy of 6th level and all of the benefits it would confer. Dunis cries out to the xp wielding god and cashes in an !. Ta da, Dunis has meritoriously attained 6th level and is only 1 exclamation point lower than he was from his goal of the bfyfwtc feat.
Seemed like a good Idea to me but as always I'll leave the final decision up to you.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Degarren
Degarren, Male Human FavSoul8:
CR
8;
Medium Humanoid ;
HD
8d8+16(Favored Soul)
;
hp
72;
Init +2;
Spd 20; AC:22 (Flatfooted:20 Touch:16); Atk +10/5 base melee, +8/3 base ranged; +13/8 (1d8+6,
Morningstar); +10/5 (1d4+4,
Dagger); +10/5 (1d3+4,
Unarmed strike); +13/8 (1d8+8,
Morningstar);
AL
CE;
SV Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +10; STR 18, DEX 14, CON 14, INT 12, WIS 18, CHA 17.
Skills: Concentration +13, Jump +6, Sense Motive +15, Spellcraft +12.
Feats: Armor Proficiency: light, Armor Proficiency: medium, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Improved Overrun, Power Attack, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Weapon Focus: Morningstar.
Spells Known (FavSoul 6/7/7/6/3): 1st -- Bane, Cause Fear, Inflict Light Wounds, Obscuring Mist, Protection from Good, Summon Monster I; 2nd -- Bull`s Strength, Darkness, Death Knell, Hold Person, Inflict Moderate Wounds; 3rd -- Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Glyph of Warding, Inflict Serious Wounds; 4th -- Inflict Critical Wounds, Poison, Summon Monster IV.
Possessions:
Weapons: Morningstar (8,308 gp); Dagger (2 gp).
Armor: +1 Breastplate (1,350 gp).
Goods: Coin: gp .
Magic:
CR
8;
Medium Humanoid ;
HD
8d8+16(Favored Soul)
;
hp
72;
Init +2;
Spd 20; AC:22 (Flatfooted:20 Touch:16); Atk +10/5 base melee, +8/3 base ranged; +13/8 (1d8+6,
Morningstar); +10/5 (1d4+4,
Dagger); +10/5 (1d3+4,
Unarmed strike); +13/8 (1d8+8,
Morningstar);
AL
CE;
SV Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +10; STR 18, DEX 14, CON 14, INT 12, WIS 18, CHA 17.
Skills: Concentration +13, Jump +6, Sense Motive +15, Spellcraft +12.
Feats: Armor Proficiency: light, Armor Proficiency: medium, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Improved Overrun, Power Attack, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Weapon Focus: Morningstar.
Spells Known (FavSoul 6/7/7/6/3): 1st -- Bane, Cause Fear, Inflict Light Wounds, Obscuring Mist, Protection from Good, Summon Monster I; 2nd -- Bull`s Strength, Darkness, Death Knell, Hold Person, Inflict Moderate Wounds; 3rd -- Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Glyph of Warding, Inflict Serious Wounds; 4th -- Inflict Critical Wounds, Poison, Summon Monster IV.
Possessions:
Weapons: Morningstar (8,308 gp); Dagger (2 gp).
Armor: +1 Breastplate (1,350 gp).
Goods: Coin: gp .
Magic:
The Black Heart
Thrice woke with a start his hand darting to his dagger while the other thumbs the stopper of an invisibility potion. He did not rise but his eyes worked around, taking in his surroundings. The flaps of his sailcloth shelter flapped in a summer evening breeze, a welcome respite from the obtrusive heat out on these plains. Nothing seemed amiss, yet something woke him. Trusting in his preternatural instincts Thrice prepared for action. Like a coiled spring muscles tightened, breaths became steady and measured, his senses sharpened and his mind began calculating tactics for a hundred different scenarios.
He knew himself to be in danger, ever since he joined this group of ravagers, it was always the case not just this night. At all hours, day and night, their torturous and murderous activities continued. Waxing and waning with their seemingly collective mood. Rising at times to such a crescendo that Thrice feared they would bring justice down on them from Del Ron. Thrice had many occasions to take life and had very few scruples when doing so but the actions of this group nauseated him.
This time it was different, the hoof beats told him that a horse was speeding away and then in a flurry of dust and cloth the tent ripped away from the ground. Thrice bolted to his feet in time to see a horseman charging away with his tent in tow. As Thrice stared after the man his stomach lurched into his throat as he, all of the sudden, felt very vulnerable. He began to raise the potion vial to his lips.
Something reached out to Thrice, grabbed him and tried to hold him fast. Thrice has had many spells cast upon him but with this one Thrice felt his will falter and his feet take root, he was held. In a moment, twenty snarling Gnoll faces and no fewer than ten human ones were sneering at him.
"You've done well!" a sardonic voice from the darkness pronounced.
"It normally takes me moments to pick out a usurper, but with you my fellow, it took some very powerful divination" A large man, wearing black armor covered by a surcoat prominently displaying the symbol Erythnul speaks as he forces his way through the throng.
"You are either very skilled or very lucky, or both. Either way, both have run out. Your misstep was at Glen Falls yesterday, Seren witnessed some very unravager like behavior from you. You came face to face with the enemy and did nothing." he paced before Thrice as he spoke.
Thrice struggled to steel his will against this opposing force but whatever magics held him were unrelenting. This man must be Degarren, Thrice had heard Seren speak of him many times. Thrice was finally face to face with the mastermind. What Degarren had in mind for him Thrice could only guess, but whatever it was wasn't going to be good and he was powerless to stop him.
Degarren turned to Seren, "Put his weapons on my horse, they will make a unique addition to my alter, his heart will adorn the top of it. The one there now is nearly spent, his should last longer."
Seren spun immediately signalling two other ravagers to join him and they marched out of Thrice's periphery. Sneering Degarren turned his gaze back to Thrice. Thrice never saw the dagger, but felt its bite clear enough, could he have screamed he would have. Brilliant flashes of pain induced light flashed before his eyes as he witnessed Degarren's forehead glisten with sweat from the effort of the grisly task. Thrice could feel Degarren's hoof like fist routing inside of his ruined chest. Lightning surged throughout Thrice's entire body as Degarren found his mark. With a wet sucking sound Degarren tore is arm from Thrice's body and held aloft his prize.
Thrice's rapidly failing vision spied his still beating heart as Degarren leaned in very near, "Soon Morga's heart will replace your own and Durindana will..."
Thrice never heard the end of the sentence.
He knew himself to be in danger, ever since he joined this group of ravagers, it was always the case not just this night. At all hours, day and night, their torturous and murderous activities continued. Waxing and waning with their seemingly collective mood. Rising at times to such a crescendo that Thrice feared they would bring justice down on them from Del Ron. Thrice had many occasions to take life and had very few scruples when doing so but the actions of this group nauseated him.
This time it was different, the hoof beats told him that a horse was speeding away and then in a flurry of dust and cloth the tent ripped away from the ground. Thrice bolted to his feet in time to see a horseman charging away with his tent in tow. As Thrice stared after the man his stomach lurched into his throat as he, all of the sudden, felt very vulnerable. He began to raise the potion vial to his lips.
Something reached out to Thrice, grabbed him and tried to hold him fast. Thrice has had many spells cast upon him but with this one Thrice felt his will falter and his feet take root, he was held. In a moment, twenty snarling Gnoll faces and no fewer than ten human ones were sneering at him.
"You've done well!" a sardonic voice from the darkness pronounced.
"It normally takes me moments to pick out a usurper, but with you my fellow, it took some very powerful divination" A large man, wearing black armor covered by a surcoat prominently displaying the symbol Erythnul speaks as he forces his way through the throng.
"You are either very skilled or very lucky, or both. Either way, both have run out. Your misstep was at Glen Falls yesterday, Seren witnessed some very unravager like behavior from you. You came face to face with the enemy and did nothing." he paced before Thrice as he spoke.
Thrice struggled to steel his will against this opposing force but whatever magics held him were unrelenting. This man must be Degarren, Thrice had heard Seren speak of him many times. Thrice was finally face to face with the mastermind. What Degarren had in mind for him Thrice could only guess, but whatever it was wasn't going to be good and he was powerless to stop him.
Degarren turned to Seren, "Put his weapons on my horse, they will make a unique addition to my alter, his heart will adorn the top of it. The one there now is nearly spent, his should last longer."
Seren spun immediately signalling two other ravagers to join him and they marched out of Thrice's periphery. Sneering Degarren turned his gaze back to Thrice. Thrice never saw the dagger, but felt its bite clear enough, could he have screamed he would have. Brilliant flashes of pain induced light flashed before his eyes as he witnessed Degarren's forehead glisten with sweat from the effort of the grisly task. Thrice could feel Degarren's hoof like fist routing inside of his ruined chest. Lightning surged throughout Thrice's entire body as Degarren found his mark. With a wet sucking sound Degarren tore is arm from Thrice's body and held aloft his prize.
Thrice's rapidly failing vision spied his still beating heart as Degarren leaned in very near, "Soon Morga's heart will replace your own and Durindana will..."
Thrice never heard the end of the sentence.
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