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[LFP][5e][Homebrew Setting][Long-Term]Looking for ~2 Players, 16:00GMT, Sundays Weekly

1516729097

Edited 1516765994
NOTE: &nbsp;This is a campaign that has been running for the better part of a year, so there's a lot of lore that's involved with jumping into the game, so be prepared for a lot of reading down below. :) Hello everyone, Due to IRL circumstances and a couple of players leaving, there are a few spots open at my table, and I'd very much like to fill them. We play almost every Sunday, at 10:00 AM Central Time, which is 16:00 GMT (or 15:00 GMT when Daylight Savings Time is active). If you're interested in a campaign skewed toward RP, then this might just be the game for you. You can read the hook below, and necessary information further down. The winds of change blow across the desolate and hostile landscape of the Pāll-tanír. Spirits, the likes of which have not been seen in millennia since the fall of tyranny in the region, ride again upon the billowing desert storms that scour the shifting dunes. The soil of the Pāll-tanír, soaked in the blood of freedom fighters, conquerors, and rebels, is now steeped in the oil-slick tar of intrigue. A conspiracy to kill the two caliphs of great Tan'Ayya and Madras to plunge the region into chaos is afoot. Within the ranks of the criminal organization known as the Hooded Eye, perhaps the only line of defense that stands now between order and anarchy, a civil war brews between those who enjoy the status quo, and those who would like to see ancient, more savage ways restored. Storm clouds gather on the horizon, adventurer. Though mighty, the Dominion's efforts to broker peace and maintain stability are stunted by the ferocious gales of the arventiri. And while the little men play their games of kings and pawns, an even greater threat looms over the shifting sands, watching, waiting, and biding its time among the high mountain peaks. Things you need to know: 1. The Pāll-tanír — The Desert Continent, to most people, the Pāll-tanír appears at first, arid, bleak, desolate, but it is in fact home to thriving cultures that subsist upon precious life-giving water produced by special arcane crystals known as rainstones. For all their many faults and their stubbornness, the races of the Pāll-tanír are hardy and resilient, having learned to bend most, but not all, of the forces of the desert to their will. 2. Madras and Tan'Ayya — The capital cities of the Madresha caliphate and the Ayyaneshi caliphate respectively, Madras and Tan'Ayya are the glittering jewels of the desert, places of prosperity, plentiful shade and water, and trade. They are also the administrative capitals of the Eastern and Western wards of the Pāll-tanír respectively, and thus the strongholds of the Dominion's influence in the continent. 3. The Dominion — The Dominion of the Tretallë (Bone Elves) is the benevolent empire that controls most of the known world, ruling from their homeland of Di'Termalttë. Though known for its powerful military, the Dominion is a vital stabilizing force to the world at large, with enough resources to support regions in crisis for extended periods of time. Due to events ongoing in the Pāll-tanír, the Dominion has been sending relief missions to the beleaguered continent over the past month, but efforts have been stalled by the increasingly ferocious and dangerous arventiri. 4. The Arventiri — The powerful, magically-charged sandstorms that are just another fact of life in the Pāll-tanír are fabled to reap the souls of the living caught in the billowing sands that they whip up. Until recently, Arventiri have merely been major inconveniences to those traveling between the settlements of the Pāll-tanír, but as of late, an ancient threat has reawakened and the storms now teem with dangerous desert spirits powerful enough to tear apart merchant caravans and unfortunate adventurers caught out in the open. 5. The Hooded Eye — (Known to the party so far only) An ancient and influential criminal organization that has its fingers in a whole continent's worth of pies, the Hooded Eye's roots lie in much of the forgotten history of the Pāll-tanír. In its modern form, however, it is split in between two extremes: those who wish to see the return of the Higborn and their tyranny, under the illusion that they will be granted privilege in the new order that the Highborn will bring to the continent, and those who know better. 6. The Shardscape — (Not common knowledge to characters) The cosmology of Rivendom is different from traditional D&D cosmology and it helps to imagine it as an egg. At the center, the yolk, is the Crucible of Mirrors, the genesis of all the worlds of the multiverse, which exist merely as reflections on inside of a hollow, perfectly spherical mirror. Surrounding the yolk is the Material Plane, through which, interwoven, interleaved, and superimposed, is the Ethereal realm. The shell could be considered the Celestial realm, similarly inaccessible to the Material Plane as the Crucible, and around the Celestial realm is the vast, ineffable Astral Sea. The Shardscape is the result of desperation gone awry. Suffice to say, its existence is an aberration in and of itself. Think of the Shardscape as a layer of gel injected forcefully between the yolk and the white of an egg. It is a new realm, one of cognition where myth and folklore are given physical form by the collective belief of the innumerable individuals that exist throughout the multiverse. It contains all the "traditional" D&D realms such as the Hells, the Abyss, the elemental planes, et cetera, but it is a place of turbulent and dangerous magics. 7. The Gods — (Not common knowledge to characters) In Rivendom, the gods are split into two categories: The Trueborn (Epherim) and the Shardborn gods. The Trueborn gods came into being at the birth of the multiverse and are immeasurably powerful. They reside within the Crucible, but can move freely between the different layers of the cosmology. Most are aloof observers or otherwise absorbed in their own interests. Only a select few have any interest whatsoever in the lives of mortals and the state of the Material Realm, the Stranger, patron of the Dominion, being the foremost of this small number. The Shardborn gods might believe that they are many thousands of years old, but are in fact less than three hundred years old. They are born in the Shardscape from the collective belief of their followers and thus are sustained by that belief. The Shardborn gods are more closely aligned with the traditional kinds of gods in D&D. On Magic: In this universe, there are five types of magic: Arcane, Eldritch, Divine, Primal, and Blood Magic. Each of these types of magic functions differently from the others, thematically, but in the current setting of the campaign, these differences have no effect on mechanics. 1. Eldritch Magic — The magic of imagination, eldritch magic suffuses the world, pouring out from rifts into the Shardscape, allowing those who are able to wield it to make their will manifest in physical form. This is the only way to easily conjure things from thin air. Eldritch Magic, however, is not native to the Material realm and thus will slip back into the Shardscape if at all possible (e.g. through a broken mirror). Anyone who knows how to use Arcane Magic, Primal Magic, or Divine Magic can use eldritch magic. 2. Arcane Magic — Energy that streams forth from the hearts of stars, empowering casters to do things beyond what mere mortals can. Using arcane magic, one can heat an object from a distance, turn air into fire, rip rocks from the earth, and even send arrows sailing for leagues. But Arcane magic is just another form of energy, and thus is bound by the laws of physics. It can be used to create something from nothing, but the amount of energy required therein is beyond the capacity of mere mortals. Because it is the element that signals the death knell of stars, iron disrupts arcane magic. 3. Divine Magic — Bestowed upon mortals by the Trueborn gods, Divine Magic is the power of creation and destruction filtered through the lens of faith. It is imparted on only the select few. Clerics of Shardborn gods are bestowed power, too, but unbeknownst to them, this power is Eldritch magic, instead of true Divine magic. 4. Primal Magic — The power incumbent within nature itself, Primal Magic is essentially arcane magic, but filtered through organisms and life forms. It is the unfettered essence of the wild, capable of great feats, but tied, instrinsically to life. 5. Blood Magic — A gift bestowed by the Stranger upon a select few, it has the power to bend one's body, and the bodies of others to a person's will. Through Blood Magic one has the power to extract the truth, and enforce unbreakable oaths. Blood Magic also has the power to poison, maim, and kill, as well as purify, heal, and mend a body. The reasons why are unknown, but Blood Magic goes awry around particularly powerful lodestones. The Mortal Races: Races that I'll allow are described here: <a href="https://worldanvil.com/w/rivendom-malkuthe/a/the-r" rel="nofollow">https://worldanvil.com/w/rivendom-malkuthe/a/the-r</a>... Note that there are no extant equivalents of the Firbolg, Kenku, or Triton in the universe at the time period of this campaign. Triton may come into the picture at a later time, but the Firbolg and Kenku are unlikely. Genasi, Aasimar, and Tieflings are all creatures born in the Shardscape, and this being the case, are complex and will take a heavy amount of RP to play. If your initial character dies and you have demonstrated a capacity to handle the kind of RP that this will entail, I will consider allowing you to play one of these races as your second character. Monstrous races are, in general, not allowed. There is currently a Yuan-ti in the party, that individual is the exception, not the rule, due to having demonstrated an ability to carry the kind of RP burden that the lore of the world has shoved upon his shoulders. Classes: Anything that has been published is fair game. Unearthed Arcana is not unwelcome, but please do consult me before you decide to take on one of those options. If a UA subclass has already been published, such as in Xanathar's Guide, the published version takes precedence over the UA version. Current Party Composition: Khathari (Tabaxi) Battlemaster, Tussari Centhiri (Yuan-ti) Gunslinger (Mercer), Arventiri (Human) Mystic, and Half-Elf Eldritch Knight. Expectations: This game is quite heavy in RP, and as such, I would prefer players who are more inclined toward RP than game mechanics. You're welcome to try and optimize your character, but that should come as secondary to creating a living, breathing individual. We play on a pretty regular basis, starting at 10:00 AM Central Time (US/Canada) (16:00/15:00 GMT) every Sunday, for about 4-5 hours. If you cannot commit the time, this is not the game for you. In terms of worldbuilding, I am a pretty strict DM. Everything that characters do, or everything that happens, must happen within the context and constraints of the world that I've made. However, this world is not complete. There are many unformed areas where you can bring your own ideas to life. This is a collaborative undertaking, not a dictatorial one. If you want to do something, or include something in your background that you don't see here, come to me and we'll figure out if we can work it into the world as it exists. In exchange, I expect respect for the work that I've done so far. I cannot simply overturn an aspect of the world on a whim to accommodate ideas, but I will do what I can to help you realize your ideas in the world. On the topic of characters, I will not accept pre-built characters with extant backgrounds and lore for obvious reasons, unless that lore is sufficiently setting-agnostic as to be easily integrable into my world. What You Can Expect: 1. Have fun — I hope! Obviously, I can't guarantee that you'll enjoy the way that I run my games, or the stories that I weave, but if you enjoy intrigue and a region that's slowly falling apart as forces with different interests vie to achieve their goals in the face of a looming crisis, then this might just be the game for you. 2. An Accessible DM — I am available. A lot. Some might say I have too much free time, but for the most part, you can reach me whenever. If you have any questions, or need any help, I'll be happy to provide my assistance, within the bounds of reason, of course. 3. Few Magical Items — The modern world is largely devoid of magical items. The Dominion, though it doesn't expressly ban arcane magic, is wary of it for cultural reasons. As a result, there is heavy-handed legislation that bars the production of magical weaponry. Most magical implements are for productivity and agriculture. And many of the enchantments studied are for protection, rather than offense. You are unlikely to find magical weapons in a marketplace, but there are ruins of ancient civilizations around, places untouched by the Dominion. So, if you're willing to embark on an adventure, there's no telling what you might find. And that's about it, I think! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! :D
Hey, very interesting worldbuilding. Unfortunately I couldn't swing it as a player, but will there ever be a campaign diary for your troupe and setting? Sounds like it would be a great read, but a lot of work.
There may eventually be! But I'm not certain. I'll ping you if we come up with one. I'm sorry to hear that you don't think you would be able to play.
I am most interested in your campaign. Seems amazing! If you're still hirin' adventurers, I would love to join.&nbsp;
Yes, actually. I'm looking for another player at the moment. One spot has already been filled, and I'm currently helping them with creating their character.
If you have an open spot I'd love to join this campaign, it looks quite interesting.