Paradoxish
First Post
I need some help with the plot of my newest campaign. Excuse the lack of flavor text and the general brevity of this, but I haven't completely worked out the idea yet. I'd just like some criticism on how this concept sounds for an ongoing campaign. Also be aware that other than the name of the world itself I haven't decided on any final names.
Background for Areadus
Ages ago, the world of Araedus (Ah-ri-ah-dus) was home to a battle of divine proportions. In this ancient time, eight Dieties ruled over the world of mortals. Seven of these Gods were cruel and vengeful, exploiting their worshippers and often battling with eachother. The world of Araedus was in a constant state of conflict as one Diety commanded his followers against those of the others. Holy wars were common and death and destruction were everywhere.
Only one of the Dieties disapproved of these wars, but he was too weak to stand against the others alone. For over one thousand years he secretly plotted against the others, building a base of worshippers powerful enough to end this age of destruction forever. This Diety [doesn't have a name, I need to come up with names for all of these ancient dieties still] eventually became powerful enough to imbue his strongest followers with the power of the Gods [bringing them to divine rank 0, this will have been how a number of the good and neutral dieties of the standard D&D pantheon will have come into being] to lead their armies against the forces of the other Seven.
A great war involving the Gods themselves ensued and Araedus was nearly destroyed as battles raged day in and day out across every land. Finally, the Seven and their remaining forces were cornered at Serus'Kel, a mighty city-fortress along the northern coast of the continent of Erimere. The forces of good, led by the hero-dieties created at the onset of the war, attacked Serus'Kel. The Battle of Serus'Kel was the bloodiest ever seen in the mortal world. Thousands upon thousands died as they assualted this one last stronghold, but eventually the walls were breached. The Seven could not be destroyed, but they were stripped of their Godly powers [reducing them to divine rank 0] before they fled. Serus'Kel was sunk into the ground along with most of the surviving followers of the Seven.
Ten thousand years have passed since the War of the Gods [I'll come up with a better name for the war later
] and it has been mostly forgotten. The ancient texts describing the power of the Seven were burned shortly after the destruction of Serus'Kel and the Seven themselves have remained hidden in the shadows for fear that they will be destroyed if ever found. In this time the heroes raised to divine status during the War have ascended to true godliness, becoming more powerful than the diety who created them. The evil gods of the pantheon, such as Erythnul and Gruumsh, rose to power in the vacuum created by the destruction of the Seven.
Although Araedus has seen many horrible wars in those ten thousand years, it has never since seen a conflict as terrible as the War of the Gods... until now. The Fallen Seven did not simply remain paralyzed by fear, however, but instead spent their time plotting revenge and building a power base. They spread out among the four continents of Araedus and secretly formed cults around themselves. Although they schemed and plotted against eachother during their exile they also realized that alone their plans could never come to fruition, and so they allied themselves with eachother and vowed to destroy all who refused to acknowledge them as the seven true lords of Araedus.
Now, after patiently for nearly ten thousand years, they have decided the time is right to strike. The dieties, they believe, have lost touch with Araedus and now concern themselves with the affairs of the outer planes. More importantly, the Seven have formed alliances with a number of dark outsiders who they have promised incredible power should the Gods fall. They have each assembled a great army and are ready to march against the nations of Araedus.
Galidor and the Broken Diamond Coast
The campaign is set at the center of the continent of Erimere, near the Broken Diamond coast. The Broken Diamond coast refers to a number of large city-states and small kingdoms located within about one hundred miles of the coast. These kingdoms are often warring with eachother and rarely form alliances. The situation at the beginning of the campaign will be no different and one of my players has already decided that he wants his PC to be a military commander from one of these city-states exiled after a terrible defeat.
To the east is the Forest of Thruendel. Like the Broken Diamond coast, no single nation controls the Forest. It is instead inhabited by a collection of Elven villages. A few other sylvan races also inhabit the forest, most of whom get along with the Elves just fine. Although the many villages of the Forest owe no allegiance to one another their leaders meet yearly at a great council to discuss matters that impact the entire Forest. The Elves have little contact with the outside world and have chosen to completely ignore the nations of the Broken Diamond coast, who's wars they consider foolish.
Situated in between the Coast and the Forest of Thruendel is the Kingdom of Galidor. Galidor was once one of the strongest, richest, and most powerful cities in the region. It dwarfed any settlement along the Broken Diamond coast and often lifted itself above the petty conflicts of its neighbors. Over the course of a hundred years numerous smaller settlements in the surrounding area allied themselves with Galidor for trade and mutual defense. Eventually, the Kingdom of Galidor was found. Ruled partially by a number of noble houses and partially by an elected council, Galidor is consider to be one of the most free lands in the region and possibly on all of Araedus.
Finally, the Dwarven Kingdom of Kagnar lies south of Galidor. One hundred and fifty years ago (prior to the existence of Galidor as a kingdom) the Elves betrayed the Dwarves, allying themselves with a number of the more powerful states along the Broken Diamond coast and launching a war against Kagnar. The war ended quickly as the citadel of Last Forge, located north of the actual Empire of Kagnar, stood strong against the forces of Thruendel. A second assault against Kagnar also failed, and it was only during the third war (nearly thirty years later) that Last Forge finally fell. The Elves and humans breached the defenses of Kagnar and pillaged, looted, and razed everything the Dwarves had worked so hard to build. It was only as the attacking army was reaching the deepest areas of the Dwarven empire were they finally turned back. The Dwarves have sinced become an isolationist nation, refusing to trade or deal with any of the nations to the north.
Rumors of war...
Two years prior to the start of the campaign rumors of a great war south of the dwarven empire of Kagnar reached Thruendel and Galidor. The warning that a massive and powerful army was tearing through the strong barbarian kingdoms in the south went unheeded, however, and the northern nations paid little attention. At the very least, the Council of Galidor assumed, the Dwarves of Kagnar would stop this army before it could reach the northern lands. Life went on as usual, until six months ago.
A messenger from Thrundel arrived at the Council of Galidor, warning them that a dark army was forming far north of the Forest. Elven scouts reported that this army had already destroyed a number of small city-states in the north, razing everything in its path. The fires from these wars could be seen for nearly fifty miles. Finally, one moth ago, the army reached the northern borders of Thruendel. Even with aid sent by Galidor, however, the Elves were unable to defend against the dark army. The northern sections of the forest are burning and the Elves are quickly losing their war. The nations of the coast, however, have turned a blind eye to these events - believing that it is an issue for the elves alone.
This is around the point where the campaign will actually start. The Council of Galidor has formed a shaky alliance with the Dwarves. The two nations intend to make a stand at the borders of the Empire of Kagnar, at Last Forge. The PCs will participate in the battle at Last Forge, although ultimately it is doomed. I anticipate that the second or third session will involve them fleeing from Last Forge, hiding, and eventually running north to Galidor to warn them of the defeat. Where I'll go from there is undecided, although I do have a few ideas.
...
Phew. That's about it. I should note that the PCs are starting at level 2 and I intend for this campaign to last into epic levels.
So what do you all think? With a lot more fleshing out and detail do you think this will work well as a epic-scale campaign?
EDIT: I should also say that this is going to be a dark and fairly gritty campaign. For most of the first half the characters will be caught up in this war, possibly running from it some of the times. There will be a few "breaks" with adventures not realted to the war for comic relief or just plain relief. The second half of the campaign will find the majority of the world already overrun by the seven armies. Friendly settlements will be few and far between, resources will be hard to come by, and most areas will be extraordinarily dangerous. It should be an interesting campaign and I'm thinking that the "darkness" and destruction will make the players feel that much more accomplished when they can finally begin fighting back.
Background for Areadus
Ages ago, the world of Araedus (Ah-ri-ah-dus) was home to a battle of divine proportions. In this ancient time, eight Dieties ruled over the world of mortals. Seven of these Gods were cruel and vengeful, exploiting their worshippers and often battling with eachother. The world of Araedus was in a constant state of conflict as one Diety commanded his followers against those of the others. Holy wars were common and death and destruction were everywhere.
Only one of the Dieties disapproved of these wars, but he was too weak to stand against the others alone. For over one thousand years he secretly plotted against the others, building a base of worshippers powerful enough to end this age of destruction forever. This Diety [doesn't have a name, I need to come up with names for all of these ancient dieties still] eventually became powerful enough to imbue his strongest followers with the power of the Gods [bringing them to divine rank 0, this will have been how a number of the good and neutral dieties of the standard D&D pantheon will have come into being] to lead their armies against the forces of the other Seven.
A great war involving the Gods themselves ensued and Araedus was nearly destroyed as battles raged day in and day out across every land. Finally, the Seven and their remaining forces were cornered at Serus'Kel, a mighty city-fortress along the northern coast of the continent of Erimere. The forces of good, led by the hero-dieties created at the onset of the war, attacked Serus'Kel. The Battle of Serus'Kel was the bloodiest ever seen in the mortal world. Thousands upon thousands died as they assualted this one last stronghold, but eventually the walls were breached. The Seven could not be destroyed, but they were stripped of their Godly powers [reducing them to divine rank 0] before they fled. Serus'Kel was sunk into the ground along with most of the surviving followers of the Seven.
Ten thousand years have passed since the War of the Gods [I'll come up with a better name for the war later
] and it has been mostly forgotten. The ancient texts describing the power of the Seven were burned shortly after the destruction of Serus'Kel and the Seven themselves have remained hidden in the shadows for fear that they will be destroyed if ever found. In this time the heroes raised to divine status during the War have ascended to true godliness, becoming more powerful than the diety who created them. The evil gods of the pantheon, such as Erythnul and Gruumsh, rose to power in the vacuum created by the destruction of the Seven.Although Araedus has seen many horrible wars in those ten thousand years, it has never since seen a conflict as terrible as the War of the Gods... until now. The Fallen Seven did not simply remain paralyzed by fear, however, but instead spent their time plotting revenge and building a power base. They spread out among the four continents of Araedus and secretly formed cults around themselves. Although they schemed and plotted against eachother during their exile they also realized that alone their plans could never come to fruition, and so they allied themselves with eachother and vowed to destroy all who refused to acknowledge them as the seven true lords of Araedus.
Now, after patiently for nearly ten thousand years, they have decided the time is right to strike. The dieties, they believe, have lost touch with Araedus and now concern themselves with the affairs of the outer planes. More importantly, the Seven have formed alliances with a number of dark outsiders who they have promised incredible power should the Gods fall. They have each assembled a great army and are ready to march against the nations of Araedus.
Galidor and the Broken Diamond Coast
The campaign is set at the center of the continent of Erimere, near the Broken Diamond coast. The Broken Diamond coast refers to a number of large city-states and small kingdoms located within about one hundred miles of the coast. These kingdoms are often warring with eachother and rarely form alliances. The situation at the beginning of the campaign will be no different and one of my players has already decided that he wants his PC to be a military commander from one of these city-states exiled after a terrible defeat.
To the east is the Forest of Thruendel. Like the Broken Diamond coast, no single nation controls the Forest. It is instead inhabited by a collection of Elven villages. A few other sylvan races also inhabit the forest, most of whom get along with the Elves just fine. Although the many villages of the Forest owe no allegiance to one another their leaders meet yearly at a great council to discuss matters that impact the entire Forest. The Elves have little contact with the outside world and have chosen to completely ignore the nations of the Broken Diamond coast, who's wars they consider foolish.
Situated in between the Coast and the Forest of Thruendel is the Kingdom of Galidor. Galidor was once one of the strongest, richest, and most powerful cities in the region. It dwarfed any settlement along the Broken Diamond coast and often lifted itself above the petty conflicts of its neighbors. Over the course of a hundred years numerous smaller settlements in the surrounding area allied themselves with Galidor for trade and mutual defense. Eventually, the Kingdom of Galidor was found. Ruled partially by a number of noble houses and partially by an elected council, Galidor is consider to be one of the most free lands in the region and possibly on all of Araedus.
Finally, the Dwarven Kingdom of Kagnar lies south of Galidor. One hundred and fifty years ago (prior to the existence of Galidor as a kingdom) the Elves betrayed the Dwarves, allying themselves with a number of the more powerful states along the Broken Diamond coast and launching a war against Kagnar. The war ended quickly as the citadel of Last Forge, located north of the actual Empire of Kagnar, stood strong against the forces of Thruendel. A second assault against Kagnar also failed, and it was only during the third war (nearly thirty years later) that Last Forge finally fell. The Elves and humans breached the defenses of Kagnar and pillaged, looted, and razed everything the Dwarves had worked so hard to build. It was only as the attacking army was reaching the deepest areas of the Dwarven empire were they finally turned back. The Dwarves have sinced become an isolationist nation, refusing to trade or deal with any of the nations to the north.
Rumors of war...
Two years prior to the start of the campaign rumors of a great war south of the dwarven empire of Kagnar reached Thruendel and Galidor. The warning that a massive and powerful army was tearing through the strong barbarian kingdoms in the south went unheeded, however, and the northern nations paid little attention. At the very least, the Council of Galidor assumed, the Dwarves of Kagnar would stop this army before it could reach the northern lands. Life went on as usual, until six months ago.
A messenger from Thrundel arrived at the Council of Galidor, warning them that a dark army was forming far north of the Forest. Elven scouts reported that this army had already destroyed a number of small city-states in the north, razing everything in its path. The fires from these wars could be seen for nearly fifty miles. Finally, one moth ago, the army reached the northern borders of Thruendel. Even with aid sent by Galidor, however, the Elves were unable to defend against the dark army. The northern sections of the forest are burning and the Elves are quickly losing their war. The nations of the coast, however, have turned a blind eye to these events - believing that it is an issue for the elves alone.
This is around the point where the campaign will actually start. The Council of Galidor has formed a shaky alliance with the Dwarves. The two nations intend to make a stand at the borders of the Empire of Kagnar, at Last Forge. The PCs will participate in the battle at Last Forge, although ultimately it is doomed. I anticipate that the second or third session will involve them fleeing from Last Forge, hiding, and eventually running north to Galidor to warn them of the defeat. Where I'll go from there is undecided, although I do have a few ideas.
...
Phew. That's about it. I should note that the PCs are starting at level 2 and I intend for this campaign to last into epic levels.
So what do you all think? With a lot more fleshing out and detail do you think this will work well as a epic-scale campaign?
EDIT: I should also say that this is going to be a dark and fairly gritty campaign. For most of the first half the characters will be caught up in this war, possibly running from it some of the times. There will be a few "breaks" with adventures not realted to the war for comic relief or just plain relief. The second half of the campaign will find the majority of the world already overrun by the seven armies. Friendly settlements will be few and far between, resources will be hard to come by, and most areas will be extraordinarily dangerous. It should be an interesting campaign and I'm thinking that the "darkness" and destruction will make the players feel that much more accomplished when they can finally begin fighting back.
Last edited:
