Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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Haeo One Who Listens Deeply

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This is, at present, little more than a setting and grand plot. Yet, I am curious as to whether it sparks interest here or if it really has potential.

This is a world in which the people are guided by a pantheon of gods. Human, Elf, and Dwarf alike dwell in the good graces of their respective deities. Over all of the Pantheon reigns the "Lord of the Pantheon". This god has decided that the people have earned an age of peace and prosperity. Thus, at his command, the limited numbers of those blessed with the powers of adventurers were increased until a full 60% of the people were so strengthened.

With such overwhelming numbers bearing the blessings of the pantheon, it was a simple matter for the people to sweep the world clean of all opposition. It was a short war indeed. The populations of all other races have been driven from sight, often into the deepest of the world's dark places or to total extinction. Yet, these too have their faith and a god to look to. And now, in these desperate times, their prayers have been heard.

After uncounted ages of slumber the first god of the world, the Patriarch, has awakened at last to the wails of his diminished and suffering creations.

In the beginning, the first god of the world had believed that life had no need for higher intelligence. Greater harmony and balance could be maintained without such a rebellious influence. His deity offspring rejected this decision and secretly wrought their own creations, arrogantly crafting them as parodies of what they saw as their father's flaws.

In the nature of the Dwarves, they created a depiction of the Patriarch's stubbornness and resistance to new ideas.

In the grace of the Elves, they crafted a reflection of his pride and talent for provoking envy in others.

In the limitations of the Humans, they forged a portrayal of his short-sightedness and desperate greed for power and authority.

The Patriarch was enraged when he discovered these creations, not only because of the insults that they represented but because his children had made champions from them. Imbuing selected individuals with their blessings, the younger gods had made adventurers and let them loose to slaughter the Patriarch's creatures without any regard for the harmony of the world. But, his wrath was not enough to deter them.

The younger gods banded together with the strongest of their champions and drew the Patriarch down to the world before doing battle. Concerned about the damage that the battle could cause, the Patriarch held back the full might of his power and was defeated. Poisoned and grievously wounded, he fell into the deepest of the world's dark places. Once there he slipped into a deep sleep from which, it was thought, he would never awaken.

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You were born in the darkness of a vast cavern system beneath the world's tallest mountains. Here, the magic that creeps out from the core of the world is strong and grows into crystals where its mother ore comes close to touching the air. Surrounded by this pulsing power and engulfed by the needs of a savage and desperate survival, you have evolved. No longer are you simple creatures with only fang and claw to aid you. Now, magical powers and physical abnormalities enhance you and your kin. But, these are still nothing compared to the powers of the adventurers who dwell above and hunt the upper levels of the caverns, ever seeking more of your kind to kill.

The Patriarch has awakened in the deep.

He has heard the piteous cries of your dying ancestors and kin.

The world is about to change.

Through the darkness drifted a soft voice, warming even the coldest stones.

"My poor creatures. Your perfect world has been stolen from you. The harmony has been rent asunder. Even my love for you was turned to aid the usurpers. I thought that I could protect you. But, now I must place the burden on your tiny and limited strengths. To you, those with the greatest potential, I grant that intellect that has made the adventurers so destructive. I furthermore grant that your powers shall increase and become more diverse with your intent."

"You shall bear the burden of breaking the momentum of the usurpers and their champions. You must be the tip of the spear that I shall thrust into their foolish pantheon. But, know that you will not be alone. When your eyes first gaze upon the light of the sun, moon, or stars I will give you further guidance and also choose another of your kind to follow in your tracks that the burden might not be too much to bear for you."

These words were the first thing you fully understood. You know yourself now and you know your purpose. Your wounded god has called for your aid and given you unprecedented gifts. What will you do now? Will you seek out the others, hidden among the many and varied species that exist savagely in the dark? Will you desperately lunge toward the surface in search of your destiny? Will you seek a way to go still deeper toward the depths where the Patriarch lies and the source of all magic in the world?

For the first time, the choice is yours. Choose with wisdom and cunning for your foes are numerous, entrenched, and strong.








Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Compulsive86
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Compulsive86 The obsessive

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@Haeo fascinating
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Nib
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This seems interesting. So, effectively we'd be playing the monsters taking back the world from the adventurers.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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Haeo One Who Listens Deeply

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Well, kinda. The tip of the spear would start out fighting its way to the surface and then attempt to drive deep into adventurer territory in an effort to break their strength and sow discord behind their "lines" through subterfuge, assassination, and seeding areas with amplified monsters. I may even add a mechanism that would allow the growing of living dungeons.

The follow up groups would start taking less guarded forts and other places that Adventurers rely on for safe fall back points.

Way later, if it ever gets that far, there would be a large scale army clash that would be tailored to drawing out vast numbers of adventurers and cropping their numbers drastically.

The victory condition that stands now would be the reduction of the adventurer population by 98%. Non-adventurers are not even a necessary target at present.

I have to admit, I had not actually intended the race war paradigm that ended up forming. So, I may restructure that part or abandon it entirely. I'm sticking with the monster PCs though.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Cyrania
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I'd be interested. I'd like to play a pixie. What would a cs look like for this?
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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@Cyrania
Thanks for your interest. I don't have a specific CS developed yet. However, as soon as I have one ready I will send it to you.
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Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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@Cyrania

The current version of the CS for this is as follows.

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Name: (One name only, there are no naming traditions yet and physical traits or scents can identify individuals just fine.)
Gender: (All species are gendered, though physical gender can be changed and is not always the same as the corresponding personality traits.)
Species:
Variety:
Varietal Description: (Which traits among your species are manifested by your variety.)
Unique Marks or Traits: (Unique to your character. 2 Max.)
Personality Archetype: (One Word Only. This is merely an extremely simplified identifier for the character's most dominant personality trait or behavioral trend.)
Surviving Kin: (Do you have any immediate family that are not intelligent? List them here or, in the case of very large families, provide a general description of the family and any home territory they maintain.)
Supplemental Notes:
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Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by brokndremes
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brokndremes Sleepless One

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Definitely interested, would love to play as some sort of ooze.

Edit: Keep thinking of other different kinds of monsters. Dragons, Elementals, Golems, Dryads and Nyads, Serpents and Salamanders. Would Undead count too?
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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Haeo One Who Listens Deeply

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Definitely interested, would love to play as some sort of ooze.

Edit: Keep thinking of other different kinds of monsters. Dragons, Elementals, Golems, Dryads and Nyads, Serpents and Salamanders. Would Undead count too?

Great! There's a lot of potential in the ooze, though it all depends on what bodies they find.

Here's where I stand regarding other kinds of monsters;

Dragons will be a variety of the Drake Species which will include all winged reptiles.
Elementals and Undead will not be playable though they will exist as Savages that can be fought. Their lack of living creature traits sets them apart. Taming or controlling them may be possible though... possibly even evolving them into something else or combining them together.
Golems are constructs... usually. Though, I do have an idea for a couple kinds of creature that would mimic the physical attributes of golems.
Dryads and Nyads may appear later in some form or other but I am not planning on allowing anything with opposable thumbs to be a starting species.
Serpents are definitely a species that will be permitted, I just haven't broken down the varieties yet.
Salamanders are actually already included under {Lizard-Mander} as they spray fire, among other things.

If you, or anyone, have suggestions for species or varieties of species please send them to me or post them here and mention me. Also, I will allow debate on them as the number of options for character species and variety is guaranteed to be far greater than the number of players.

Edit: Species List updated
Hidden 6 yrs ago 6 yrs ago Post by Cyrania
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Cyrania

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Here's my character entry.

Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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Haeo One Who Listens Deeply

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Thank you for your interest! I honestly didn't expect a filled out CS before I even got the map finished up.

I will handle any discussion of specific Character Sheets through Private channels.

Please bear in mind that this is still a work in progress and changes and enhancements are coming faster than I can get them into digital format.

Anyone who wishes to post a CS here is welcome to do so. We can discuss any relevant additional information etc through Private channels after your core concept is complete.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Enzayne
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Enzayne Invading Eldar

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Also interested. Will toy with a CS for a pixie (go team forest) or a dragon.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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Haeo One Who Listens Deeply

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Thank you for your interest!

One notable point that seems to be escaping attention.

The entire population of remaining monsters has been underground for at least a century. No monsters were born on the surface or have seen it. The closest thing to a forest that the Cavern System holds is a Column Forest.

I am in process on a map and will be adding it when a functional version of it is complete.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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Haeo One Who Listens Deeply

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Still working on this. Work got crazy.

Also... bump.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by brokndremes
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brokndremes Sleepless One

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No worries! Still here and interested.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Cyrania
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Cyrania

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Still here as well.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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Haeo One Who Listens Deeply

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Bump.

Still working.

Also, working on a spider line and a couple new varieties of savage monsters. Who likes the idea of explosive slimes?
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Cyrania
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Cyrania

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Sounds fun as long as they're not kamikaze slimes. Or at least not purely kamikaze slimes and have other options than to blow up the enemy.
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by brokndremes
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Curious how that would be if every lil bit of slime that the slime explodes into is its own separate being. Be a hell of a way for a species to reproduce. O_o
Hidden 6 yrs ago Post by Haeo
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Haeo One Who Listens Deeply

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Oh, no... I'm talking about a type of slime that loses about ten-20 percent of its mass when it sleeps, sweating out the water and condensing itself while forming a thin, hard shell. What is inside that shell is about as easy to detonate as nitroglycerin. So, if they are attacked while they sleep... boom. Of course their properties while awake would be notably different. I'm thinking that these would be a savage variety only... at least at first.

Though, they would be a source for ideas regarding either explosive spit or other such variants on species' existing skills. After all, none of these monsters have modern world knowledge to draw on. It's a little harder to stay in character if your character doesn't have any believable reasoning path to connect their origin to where they're going or what they're figuring out.
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