Creative Exercise: The Sovereign Dominion of Eyros

Rystil Arden · Mar 3, 2005

Mouseferatu said:
For the record, by "saleable," I mean good enough to actually sell. I don't necessarily mean we'd charge for it. Can you imagine the logistical nightmare of trying to determine who was entitled to what percentage?

Although...

Maybe we could sell it with all profits going to EN World?

(Again, I'm just thinking aloud here. Please don't hold me to any of this...)

If anyone else here is like me, having the product legitimately sold in a venue that would get the name out so that people knew what it was would be a reward in and of itself, and the profit can go where it may. I'd just be glad to go to my gaming group with a copy of the PDF and say "Hey, look at the Contributing Authors section!" and/or use it as an example of previous work in the industry if I want to try my hand at any freelancing.

domino · Mar 3, 2005

Ditto. Unless you're planning on selling this for millions, just getting my name out there as having been published is worth more than a small fraction of any sort of royalties.

Rystil Arden · Mar 3, 2005

domino said:
Ditto. Unless you're planning on selling this for millions, just getting my name out there as having been published is worth more than a small fraction of any sort of royalties.

Heh, we probably couldn't sell this for millions even if we had the manipulative powers of Taufenacht the Tempter on our side.

domino · Mar 3, 2005

Then I think I'll just settle for being happy with getting my name in there.

That said. Look! Up in the sky! It's a contribution.

The Legions of Eyros are more than just soldiers and formations. On every campaign comes a team of engineers. These are specialists dedicated to knowledge of construction of fortifications, and seige machinery. They have knowledge of the most effecient ways to set up light fortifications, and given time, how to construct more durable fortresses. They are the reason that a legion never camps down for the night without at least a light fence around the area, and a latrine near the edge.

For most of the building, they direct the legions in how to do the simple labor, and then do the more intricate work themselves. They also keep, create, or alter preexisting plans as the situation calls for.

(Rather than turning work crews into soldiers, like how the Roman Legions were created, they turn the soldiers into work crews.)

Phineas Crow · Mar 3, 2005

To the far east is the Sultanate of Indracca, a land consisting of hot, barren wastelands and lush, tropical coastlines. The current Sultan, the 96th such person to hold that title, has been attempting to rebuild the fading nation of Indracca back to it former glory. While Indracca and Eyros signed a peace treaty sixty years ago after the War of Blades, the Sultan fears that Eyros may be plotting to attack Indracca and with the Sultanate’s current state of decline the chances of a victory against the mighty armies of Eyros seem infinitesimal.

Rystil Arden · Mar 3, 2005

Phineas Crow said:
To the far east is the Sultanate of Indracca, a land consisting of hot, barren wastelands and lush, tropical coastlines. The current Sultan, the 96th such person to hold that title, has been attempting to rebuild the fading nation of Indracca back to it former glory. While Indracca and Eyros signed a peace treaty sixty years ago after the War of Blades, the Sultan fears that Eyros may be plotting to attack Indracca and with the Sultanate’s current state of decline the chances of a victory against the mighty armies of Eyros seem infinitesimal.

Contribution:

The Indraccans have a fourfold religion that worships the elemental genies. Indeed, the Crucible's captured efreet has a fiery energy aura due to his milennia of worship by the Indraccans. During the War of Blades, as an effort to demoralise the enemy, the Eyrians made a great show of capturing the worshipped genies in shackles and bottles. While most were released at the signing of the peace treaty in exchange for generous concessions by the Indraccans, the Crucible managed to abscond with the one efreet, although few know this. Barandis Zul'Baran, a fire-genasi descendant of the efreet who has vowed to find his great-grandfather has recently tracked him back to Eyros, but he is not a very subtle man, unskilled in the ways of stealth. Will this ingenuous foreigner be able to succeed in releasing his forefather from slavery?

GladiusNP · Mar 3, 2005

The present Grand Monarch, Ezlan Zul-Dagvar dal-Zhal ty-Mulcibe, was actually the second choice for Presumptive by his predecessor. On the advice of his Mask, the wizardress Lysia, the former Monarch chose Ezlan from his own Pillar after deliberately making a choice that would be vetoed. Lysia's current whereabouts are unknown.

Arkhandus · Mar 3, 2005

GladiusNP said:
The present Grand Monarch, Ezlan Zul-Dagvar dal-Zhal ty-Mulcibe, was actually the second choice for Presumptive by his predecessor. On the advice of his Mask, the wizardress Lysia, the former Monarch chose Ezlan from his own Pillar after deliberately making a choice that would be vetoed. Lysia's current whereabouts are unknown.

The Kohl'tass lizardmen are led by an ancient, female lizardfolk druidess known only as Rrahask Sshasaar (translated from Draconic as Venerable Mother), whose eyes, scales, and leathery skin have all gone alabaster with extreme age. In fact, Venerable Mother has perfected the power of Timeless Body, making herself immortal by binding her soul to the life forces (or spirits, or other natural power/presence) of the lizardfolks' homeland. Rrahask Sshasaar has kept her immortality secret through some means, but all Kohl'tass know that she is 'very old', and it is taboo for them to speak of her except when addressing her directly or delivering a message for her. She rarely leaves the lizardfolk territory, but seems spry enough for such an old gal, and has been sighted on occasions in distant lands, even Eyrdeyn and Saagersberg. Tales say she is unkillable, and she is even mentioned in tales where she confronted the demon Taufenacht on occasions, though popular theory is that the lizardmen just keep placing a new Venerable Mother into the role each generation after the previous one dies of old age. However, similar to Thanatos, Rrahask Sshasaar does not often feel moved to take action outside her people's homeland, though at least she does take action once every few centuries or so.

Abisashi · Mar 3, 2005

Arkhandus said:
making herself immortal by binding her soul to the life forces (or spirits, or other natural power/presence) of the lizardfolks' homeland.

Kind of like having an entire region as a phylactery (equivalent)? That's pretty neet-o.

Mouseferatu said:
Maybe we could sell it with all profits going to EN World?

That would be fine with me.

Abisashi · Mar 4, 2005

Contribution #6

Arkhandus said:
The Kohl'tass lizardmen are led by an ancient, female lizardfolk druidess known only as Rrahask Sshasaar ... However, similar to Thanatos, Rrahask Sshasaar does not often feel moved to take action outside her people's homeland, though at least she does take action once every few centuries or so.

In the north is an old dwarven sage by the name of Orgar who lives at the site of The Twelve. He is guarding them and making sure that what they contain does not escape. He claims the other creatures in the north are afraid to approach the twelve and thus do not bother them. Orgar, however, is a liar.

Although Dragons are only seen in Eyros in fairy tales nowadays*, there is at least one still active in the world. His name is Alsixnivis, and because he only resumes his dragon form during heavy blizzards, no one born in the past 1,000 years has seen him as a dragon and lived to tell of it. Alsixnivis tends to The Twelve, and is Taufenacht's voice in the North. He normally appears as an old dwarven sage by the name of Orgar. In his normal form Alsixnivis appears to be a colossal white great wurm, but any adventuring party who believes this is in for a rude surpirse; Alsixnivis is several age categories beyond great wurm, and has many other tricks beyond that, as he is partly a product of Taufenacht's genius from when he last strode Eyros. Alsixnivis guards the Twelve at all times, and is never more than a few minutes flight from them.

*From the compilation. There is another possible mention of a dragon, being the creature who set up Vildaxaranthus. Given the rarity of dragons in recent times, they probably all predate the civil war, which makes the minimum age category Old, and most are probably ancient. Of course, who knows what is really going on

. But having dragons be ancient, rare superpowers is a good idea; we don't want any angle letters from BADD. But this footnote is not part of the submission, so don't consider it to be official.