Allador Stirs: An Adventure in Thessellis The snows are coming, and Allador stirs. In the far-flung, northeastern reaches of the Kingdom of Mir, a lone mountain pierces the skies, reaching up from flat forestlands and dominating the skyline for hundreds of miles around. Called Mount Allador, its blistering heights have ever been a draw for the brave... and the foolhardy. Few dare to settle near the mountain, for in the night it is said that one can hear the mountain's moans riding on the wind. Most who venture beyond the thick woodlands ringing Mount Allador never return, and the locals have long since held that the mountain is cursed, dangerous, or both. For hundreds of years, however, the mountain has lain silent, and some among the villages begin to wonder if Allador's wrath has finally abated. But the snows are coming, and Allador stirs. A great glacial river cascades from Allador's heights, a crystal-clear font of life that gave birth to the mountain's only true village - Reota. With an insular population of about a hundred, Reota has long since been left out of any tax collector's map; excepting the mayor, most Reotan's live their lives without knowing that the village is even the part of a larger kingdom. In Reota, it is believed that one may only be considered an adult after serving the village in some way - whether it is merely fresh whitewash on the tiny local inn, or a pack of wolves hunted for pelts, this rite of passage is overseen and approved by The Mother, the residing herbalist and wise-woman. Equal in power to the Mayor, the Mother's rank is passed down to her nearest female relative upon her death. Though the mountain has slept for longer than any can remember, it yet stirs. In the past months, the ground has roiled like a boiling sea, and flame can be seen pouring from the mountainside. The people of Reota are fearful - none among them are great warriors or heroes. The mayor has called a town meeting, inviting all to attend and discuss the matter at hand. The air is thick, and tension is high as villagers with frightened eyes filter into the small common room, seeking shelter from the chill of winter's night. What stirs in Allador's depths? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Allador Stirs is the latest in a series of adventures & campaigns I have run in my homebrew setting of Thessellis, and only the second played on Roll20. A.S. will be a dangerous, low-power game that should provide an interesting, refreshing challenge to players tired of constantly sweeping aside enemies with +4-5's in every stat from the start of the game. The game will be played late at night, typically from 11 PM to 1 AM GMT-8. If interested in playing, please READ, UNDERSTAND, AND HEED the following instructions! Characters must be created using the Pathfinder Core's 'Low-Fantasy' point-buy. That is to say, 10 points. Search "Pathfinder Point-Buy Calculator" if you require assistance. Characters may select two traits for free, purchasing an extra trait with an appropriate drawback. ALL TRAIT CHOICES ARE SUBJECT TO GM APPROVAL. Players MUST a somewhat acceptable schedule; of the 4 players I currently have, 3 work multiple part-time jobs and thusly the schedule may shift from time to time depending on players' work schedules. As stated before, the game will be played late at night; the only change will be which day of the week it occurs. Players MUST submit a character application to be considered for the campaign. This application is more akin to a summary; Please provide the race, class, and age of your desired character, as well as a short summary of 1-3 sentences. This summary can be whatever you like, but think of it as your chance to 'hook' me into the character. From the applications I've received, I'll accept one or two players, whom will then provide full sheets. DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS CAMPAIGN AND THE INITIAL ADVENTURE, ALL SUBMITTED CHARACTERS MUST BE YOUNG ADULTS FROM THE VILLAGE OF REOTA . Race is irrelevant. The drive behind this decision is to give players a mutual interest in the village itself, as too often I have had online & live groups fall apart from lack of party cohesion. Once the initial adventure is complete, I will open up the world to the party and take a vote at the end of each session, which will determine the party's next course of action/avenue of exploration. Summoners, Gunslingers, and Vivisection Alchemists are NOT PERMITTED . This is as much for lore & world cohesion as for balance. Gunslingers may be permitted at a later date. All CORE material is permitted, however material from noncore (including EVERYTHING ; feats, spells, traits, class archetypes, ANYTHING ) MUST be GM-approved. A microphone is NOT required! I will be establishing an <a href="http://www.epicwords.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.epicwords.com/</a> homepage for the campaign, where XP logs and Player Journals will be stored. I offer a flat 10% XP bonus for each session a player provides some form of contribution to the game world, whether it be further background, a personal journal, art, etc. This XP is given at GM's discretion, of course. Finally, you MUST competent with the Pathfinder system AND reliably able to play. I refuse to teach the system to new players only to have them drop out after the first session. You don't need to know the game front and back, but at least know the difference between CMD & CMB. Any submissions which do not follow the above instructions will be immediately trashed. Before I close this post, I'll share a little about me & the campaign world. Thessellis itself is a low-fantasy world with a fairly small population. The planet is ringed about its equator with a thick cloud of silver and white gas that acts as a massive mirror, reflecting almost all sunlight and causing a band of arctic ice to form around the equator. These frozen wastes, affectionately referred to as the Beltlands, are home to few friendly species and all but act as solid walls against trade between the Northern and Southern hemispheres of Thessellis. The great cloud is held in place by powerful ocean currents and winds churned to life by hot, moist air of the subtropics coming in constant contact with the cold, dry air wafting off of the Belt. The dangerous, wild torrents and storms that are birthed by this unfortunate meeting have long-since taught sailors to steer clear. Dubbed the Stormwaters, only the bravest seafarers dare attempt to reach the Belt. Thessellis' people are a myriad lot. The largest kingdom upon the world is the Kingdom of Mir, controlling the only land bridge to the Beltlands... and therefore, the only reliable trade route across the tundra. As such, Mir is both rich and powerful, with new technological advances coming each year. Rumors of a magic powder that bursts into flame and great, tri-masted ships patrolling the coasts only lend further credence to Mirian strength. I have been GMing for more then 10 years across several systems & editions (AD&D 1e, 3.5e, Dungeon World, nWoD), and consider myself somewhat competent in the role. I know I may seem a bit demanding/rude, but I'm mostly trying to weed out players who aren't actually committed to playing. I try to keep the games dangerous and exciting, and encourage roleplay in every way. You can contact me here or email me at <a href="mailto:WCDeeum@gmail.com" rel="nofollow">WCDeeum@gmail.com</a> . I have access to and use Dynamic Lighting in just about every instance I can, so if you haven't had a chance to use that system... :) Hope to see you at the table! EDIT: Our current party consists of a Cavalier, a Druid, a Cleric & a Dragoon-archetype fighter.
