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"The Eternal Throne of Man lay empty. Let it lie."
— Aeolus the Forgebound
"Come, children, sit by the fire. It's time to tell the tale of the Godfall. Side by side, now, gather round. This story is important, one you should forever remember, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Our story begins where the gods' ended, in the Great Void. Time is vast and endless, and in the many, many years before our flock came into being, there was nothing in that deep, crushing darkness. It should be said, though, that in the immense pressure of the void, a diamond was born—our home, this beautiful land we call Makyos. At first, it was barren, held together by the weight of the Great Void, lifeless and incomplete. It was here that the gods, may they be at peace in the realms beyond, took pity on it and decided to give it life.
We owe our existence to Ihlo, Mother of Creation, and her descendant, E'co the Rootmother. Through their breaths, through their steps and dances and tears, Makyos was made living and colorful, swirling with wind and water, burgeoning with flora and fauna, inhabited by the existing. Ihlo's brother, Bellua, inflicted us with mortality not as a curse, but as a way of giving us the ability to appreciate the time we have with one another. Love exists because of him. Nachma-Sol is responsible for ability to learn and grow wise, to speak and read and write the languages of all our people, to express ourselves, to be attentive and mindful of our pasts, presents, and futures. Nihalla, he who was betrothed forever to our Mother, gave us perseverance and determination, to persist in the face of overwhelming odds. He gave us hope and bravery.
And Aramais, reviled as he may have been, gave us the awareness of knowing we are not perfect. He gave us the ability to desire, to seek and satiate our sins, to become awash in hedonism and impropiety. Through this, we were given the most difficult and important choice—to be good despite our flaws. To work toward a brighter future. To become something better than our sins.
When we were made, we were directionless, but it was through them that we found purpose in our lives: to grow and prosper and evolve. To live for the sake of continuity, and to do so, we needed a leader.
The gods were not meant to lead us, but in one of their last decrees, they gave us the Eternal Throne of Man. It was unbreakable, made to outlast all who lived before, all who live now, and all who could live in the future. They determined that Man should lead Man, that we could only grow when taught by our peers, and so they commanded that whoever would take the Throne would be given the spoken blessing of the divine and dominion over mortalkind. Our records do not tell us of the first being who took the Throne, but the tales passed down to us from countless generations called them Votum.
According to those tales, our lives were peaceful for a time, by the vices instilled in us by Aramais led to greed and a lust for power. Votum was murdered, and another took their place, and then another, and then another. The reigns of those upon the Throne were cut short often, and soon, there was no one to place themselves upon that fabled seat of power. Endless war plagued the realms of Makyos, staining the land of the Eternal Throne a permanent red. The air was thick with the stench of smoke and death, with the cries of anguish and suffering. It was here that the gods, may they be at peace in the realms beyond, chose to intervene.
Little ones, know this. The gods had strength beyond comparison. To touch the very soil we walked upon invited calamity in their wake, and though they didn't mean to, their presence among us led to unexpected destruction. Many of us died in the wake of their salvation, and Ihlo was so overcome with the guilt of her actions that her weeping lasted for a hundred days. Despite his best efforts, Nihalla could not comfort her, and a part of him grew resentful of us for having warred among ourselves to such an extent that an intervention like that was made. Bellua fed from our demise and grew large, something for which we could not fault him, for the Great Devourer returns us all to our origin. Nachma-Sol implanted within us the pain of reckoning, to help us come to terms with our slaughtering of each other. This event would be known as the Sundering.
But, Aramais, reviled as he was, was gleeful. He saw what happened among us as the greatest offering of worship. Aramais was pleased.
After her grief had ended, Ihlo made a decision to leave us to ourselves, and beckoned her family to take to the skies with her, where Man could not go. She took the form of a dragon, and her ilk followed suit, launching into the skies and separating themselves from us, but Aramais would stay behind. In the midst of the destruction and chaos that had been sewn, Aramais wished to seize the opportunity to become stronger, to outclass his kind and become the most powerful of the gods. Nachma-Sol, however, he who is knowledge unending, had foreseen Aramais' ascent to power and the subsequent destruction of that was made, and warned the others of his plan.
We are not privy to the events of the Godfall, but there are two things that every tale of such a cataclysm inherits.
The first is that Ihlo, Mother of Creation, Light of the Void, was killed. The second was that the gods, as a whole, vanished, never to be seen again. We have been alone since then. All the gods and all their patrons are gone, yet we still cling to their former presence, to their ideals and beliefs, as it gives us comfort in uncertainty. Such is the way of faith. Such is the need for an answer.
The Throne, in its infinite existence, has also disappeared, buried beneath thousands of years of civilization, the rise and fall of empires, the lives and deaths of the countless mortals that wandered and made their names here in Makyos. In all but name, it has been forgotten, and we have learned to live without its power. Despite their absence, we as mortalkind have continued to exist, a testament of gods' gifts, and it's up to us—and yes, you too, children—to not take them for granted. All of this could end in an instant, so we must appreciate all that we have and all that we are."
"Elder Ohko, do you think someone will find the Throne in the future?"
"Child... if the Eternal Throne was made known to exist once more, the world—as we have come to know and love—will end."
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T H E W O R L D O F M A K Y O S
e y e o f t h e m o t h e r
e y e o f t h e m o t h e r
"Elder Ohko, Elder Ohko! Can you tell us about the world again?"
"Again? Heheheh. Why the sudden interest?"
"I'm not getting younger, Elder... I'll have to go on my pilgrimage soon!"
"Pilgrimage? My, the youth are growing so quickly these days! Fair enough—it only makes sense that you know of the world you will eventually wander through. Listen well.
The world of Makyos is divided into eight regions. These regions are known as Siliach, Verja, The Cascades, Lamafon, Lune's Shelf, The Saltlands, the Quill Islands and, finally, the Zeniths. Most of the regions, respective of their climates are considered habitable, while others are considered dangerous."
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T H E R A C E S O F M A K Y O S
d i s p a r a t e s o u l s , s h a r e d b l o o d
d i s p a r a t e s o u l s , s h a r e d b l o o d
"Easy, Ra'am. We have to be careful with the artifacts we pull from the dirt."
"Sorry, sir. I've never done something like this before. I'm eager to learn about the people of the world. Doctor Winst, could you tell me about the races of Makyos again? I'd like to know more about them before I travel on to meet them."
"Of course, boy. To know people is to connect with them. Who should I start with first?"
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T H E O L O G Y O F M A K Y O S
a b a n d o n e d d i v i n i t y
a b a n d o n e d d i v i n i t y
"Sweet air, brother Ra'am. Does the day find your body well?"
"Good morning, brother Iskota. It does, though I think I slept wrong. My neck is a little pained. How are you doing?"
"This body has rested well enough. This body finds your body a welcome presence in the monastery this morning."
"Thank you, brother. If you don't mind—I suppose if you're not busy—I'd like to learn more about the gods of the world through the eyes of its people. I was hoping you could educate me on how others remember the theology of Makyos."
"Certainly, brother Ra'am. This body has studied the world's divinities for quite some time. Your body will know, better, that of the gods by lunchtime."
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G R O U P S O F I N T E R E S T
s t r e n g t h i n n u m b e r s
s t r e n g t h i n n u m b e r s
"Hmmm... I've never seen you in the Grand Bazaar before. Are you a merchant from Lamafon?"
"Me? I am from Lamafon, but I'm no merchant. I'm on a pilgrimage, away from my flock to learn more about the world. I'm currently waiting for my travel permit to be approved so I can see Siliach in all its beauty. I hear the sights from the Sojourn are amazing."
"Hah, they sure are, but, uh... word of advice—if you're going to be traveling on the inside of the Patronaat, you'll probably want to dress more like you could kill someone with a single look. There's a few groups to watch out for—not just inside Siliach, but all over. Some of them are a little more clandestine than others, but all of them could be dangerous if you approach them wrong."
"Oh, gods. Who should I know about?"
"Oh, my. These guys seem pretty scary, but that's all, right?"
"Hah! You're funny, kid. I like you."
Hello. Welcome to the world of Eternal Throne.
Eternal Throne is a campaign set within the grand world of Makyos and is centered around the search for and acquisition of the titular Throne of Man. Long ago, the gods gave to mortalkind a seat of power, that whosoever could claim it would be granted the blessing of divinity and dominion over Man. This eventually caused the mortals to kill each other for a taste of power, and what followed would ultimately result in the vanishing of the gods. The Eternal Throne now lay empty and without influence, buried beneath thousands of years of civilization, but there are those, even now, who seek the Throne once more for their own self-justified reasons. Within this world, you will play a large part in the events to come, seeking to stop the world from falling into ruin.
This campaign is seeking a maximum of five players(not counting myself) of a casual skill level. If I find enough interested players, I'll make another post explaining a bit more on the rules/posting requirements, as well as the character sheet and details you'll need to create your character.
And now, time for some FAQs that I thought up on my own and was not asked about.
Alright. I'm going to take a break now. Here's hoping this garners some interest.
