Hi everybody! My name is Salman Corbette, you can call me Sal, and I'm looking for some players to join me in exploring my own world: the Southern Rings. I'm an experienced DM that's run a variety of systems, including years running my own homebrew system and world, but I've decided to settle on good old 5e to run this one. Campaign Listing About me: As the title states, I've been working on and off as a stand-up comedian and theatrical improviser for close to a decade. I love to infuse my worlds with humor and hijinx, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid to engage in some serious roleplay wherever possible. I've accumulated quite a few skills over my tenure, including voice acting, and I rely on the richness of NPCs to fill in any gaps in my narration. As I also mentioned, I was, for a brief time, the SCP Foundation's most prolific author, and you can take a look at my articles if you'd like an idea of my writing style: <a href="http://www.scpwiki.com/salman-corbette-personnel-file" rel="nofollow">http://www.scpwiki.com/salman-corbette-personnel-file</a> For me, the ideal campaign drifts between humor, horror, and heroics. Above all, I like making sure both my players and myself have fun, and I build my campaigns week-to-week with that in mind. Whether you're a combat junkie, a roleplay obsessor, or just love exploring a new world, I tailor the course of my stories to balance between individual player preferences. __________ About this campaign: This campaign will take place in a homebrew world. I have intentionally left the hook quite open: You're being hired by a professor named Lucius Whitebeak to assist in a variety of archaeological and anthropological missions. While I already have a few different plot threads in mind, I'd like to establish expectations with the players at session zero to assess what y'all might find the most interesting to pursue. Of course, if you're ambivalent, I can guarantee a series of capers that will escalate from simple treasure hunting to saving the world - as such things tend to do. (This is a compressed version of this map. To see the full resolution check out the listing thread here) As they say, the proof is in the pudding, so I hope you'll find this map at least somewhat intriguing. The gist of the setting is, the world has been covered in a smothering and deadly Gas, and thus only points of high altitude and the two great craters of the south remain habitable. These lands thus have a very rich and diverse history, filled with lost treasure, secret spells, harsh lands, and warring kings. Which part looks the most intriguing to you? What mysteries of the landscape draw forth more questions in your mind? If you love looking at maps like this and want to dive right into exploring it, then this is the campaign for you. _______ This campaign is pay to play Why? Well, in part, this pandemic has not been easy on the wallets of performers, and I am close to broke. I love DMing and would love to run my campaigns for free, but the time dedication drawing maps and prepping for sessions means I can't afford to do this for free. As well, let's be honest, a paid campaign will likely draw people who don't flake and are ready for some dedicated performance. And in return for your payment, I can promise your passion will be matched by an equally as dedicated DM. Session zero will be free! So don't be shy - if you feel like this campaign isn't for you afterwards, no harm, no foul. This game will require payment to the Game Master at a rate of $10 USD per player per session, to be paid via Paypal (or etransfer if you happen to be Canadian). Roll20 is not responsible for any payment
transactions and cannot enforce any private arrangements. ________ This campaign will take place on week nights I currently have my eye on Tuesday nights at 7 EST, but depending on the availability of players I'm willing to move this campaign around, or even make a second one to accommodate more players including on Sunday afternoon! For sessions I aim to keep them about 3-4 hours in length, with one or two intermissions. Of course, boss fights and the like may stretch us further into the night, but I'll always be keeping the rate per session the same. I would prefer to use Discord to run voice chat, mainly for the sake maintaining connection when Roll20 is doing somersaults. __________ Setting Overview: 1342 AG
When WHOM abandoned the world, the Gas
leaked from the earth. Lighter than water but thicker than air, the
purple Gas can kill a human in a few minutes, and strip them to the bone
in a few hours. It subsumed the world, and the people fled to mountains
and plateaus to seek refuge.
The Cratorians, however, sought a different refuge. Laying brick
after brick, the Levees were built to hold back the Gas from entering
the Southern rings. Millions died over many generations to seal off the
Gas, but the prosperity that followed would make the Southern Rings the
world’s last true continent.
The craters themselves are from a time beyond living memory, perhaps a gift from WHOM before
their love for the world waned. Some say the craters were originally a
curse, created by another god’s fists hailing from the sky. Regardless,
they are a blessing now.
Crater Aridam, the northern Ring, is a dry place. It loses more water
each year, which have driven its inhabitants to constantly maintain the
reservoirs they have. Nevertheless, countless buckets fall from the
falls at Elka into the Gas beyond every year.
The crater is dominated by the Driftstone desert, through which float
all assortment of monuments, inns, and even villages. The most notable
of these is the City of Riln, a massive, ancient labyrinth lost to myth.
So the legend goes, it is the residence of Bwbachod, the Sickening
Scarecrow, who haunts the dreams of children the world over and is
cursed for every loved one cursed with her disease.
At its south, Crater Aridam is divided from its brother by the Somber
Gate. A massive, sentient, stone gate spanning from the shoulders of
converging mountains, the Somber Gate has withstood a millennium of
territorial squabbles. He speaks with a therapist every other week,
sponsored by the King of Tonis.
Crater Vita is a fertile and varied land, inhabited for many eons
before the Gas. The Ocean at its center, fed by melt from the world
glacier, is by far the largest mass of water still accessible to
civilization. The nature of the crater’s shape retains more water than
is expelled, and indeed scholars have noted a slight increase in The
Ocean’s height over the last one thousand years.
This crater is also known as the Ring of a Hundred Claims. To the
south, the River Kings fight over their cold, forested land. To the
east, Prince Gallybagger the Honourable Scarecrow sits as a
constitutional monarch over the Sophists of The Gak. To the west, the
Snailking of Ven Alice rules over the miners and fishermen of the Lesser
Ocean.
At the center, the rulers of Barisium and Ven Rhea constantly
skirmish over the dregs of a long-gone empire that once ruled the
entirety of Crater Vita (except for The Gak, of course). This empire has
not truly existed for half a millennium - but, y’know, monarchs do be
like that.
Journey into the Southern Rings and earn yourself glory,
riches, adventure, or - at least - a good time. The time is at hand to
discover secrets, both old and new, amongst the ruins, forests,
mountains, and deserts of this strange land. Apply Below or in Listing: Screenname & Pronouns: Age: Playing experience: Time Zone & Availability: Play Preferences (Focus on roleplying, combat, etc.): Desired class: Questions for the DM: