One of the few
Me and 2 other, French speaking Canadians won our place in the semi-finals (We often joke we where the 11th entry...) The name of our setting was Cappedocio. Here is our ?First Page Primer? that saw us trough :
All text following this point is Copyright of Alexandre Gélinas 2003, All right reserved.
1. ? I am old, my daughter, It is time, for I, TruthSeeker Aoshi Chunjiro, to pass on my knowledge. Listen well, my precious, for we live in a world where heroes seek to find fame using steel, courage, magic and wits. A world in which the truth is hidden, and is both a blessing and a curse.
The empire in which we live is centuries old. Founded by the six first Doges, who later ascended to godhood , it is now a human emperor who reign in their name. Back then, we shared this land with all races, as today, but also with the gnomes, who were brilliant beyond our human grasp. They made discoveries by leaps and bounds, giving their knowledge away in benevolence. One day, however, they discovered something that troubled the gods deeply. Something that was not meant to be spread among mortals. While the 6 debated, unable to reach compromise nor decision, Axatriel, the strongest among them, decided it was time to act. Without further notice, he ordered his Celestial legions to take control of the gnomish golems and destroy their creators, giving them a lesson about the risks of technology they would remember for aeons upon aeons. Outraged by the actions of their brother, the five remaining members of the Doges banished him underground, to err till the end of time. His legions were cast off among mortals, and stripped of all divine powers. Their wings turned crimson red, so they would never forget the innocent blood shed. Their mission would be to hide this embarrassing mistake forever from prying eyes.
2. Many heroes walk our lands. Coming from outside our frontiers,the Lyaransalee, lead by the beautiful Lady Aliénor D?Argencourt , pay homage only to the Ancient Gods, who predate even the arrival of the six. Within the shadow of our citadels hides the Comedia Del Ombre, a bunch of merry gentlemen, hiding behind their carnival mask. The TruthSeeker are scouts and pioneers, roaming along our borders and doing expedition to far reaches of the realm. All kind of individuals live in our lands. From king to thief, some of them have found one of the little secrets of our world. Know this: what you do matters, and if you try hard enough, you will join the other heroes in the Hall of Remembrance, where your story will shine for eternity.
3. The Lyaransalee, using their faith as a shield, have sworn to protect all races from danger and injustice. The Comedia Del?Ombre look for the poorest among us, assuring that the kingdom?s wealth is divided more equally. They sometimes do so legally, sometimes not quite... The Truthseekers try to learn the faith of the gnomish civilisation. They are also the driving force behind new settlements and further exploration. Another individual is worth mentioning. Named the Prophet Thief, this strange fellow will rob you blind of your greatest riches, in exchange for a cryptic prophecy on a parchment, which will usually come true.
4. The greatest evils of our lands are as follow : Once a proud family of vigilant knights charged to protect the Empire, the order of the Praesidium Dei are now nothing more than puppets of the Mercedis Divina, the royal inquisition. When the legion of Axatriel where banished, one of his lieutenants, Ariiura, seduced the daughter of the first emperor, Zadiya. Together they founded the kingdom of Malyss?Carnae, a land once populated only by halflings. Some of them fled, other embraced the raising darkness. Axatriel also brood in his underground domain of Sombraaven, nursing unknown plans for the future. The waters are menaced by the deep Queen, Zulanthee, who lures adventurers to their doom with mirages of treasures hidden in the depths of the great bay.
5. Magic in our land is divided in two realms, Divine and Arcane. The energy of Arcane magic is all around us but it is the emotions that shape it. Some magic users are really good at channelling a few dominating sentiments while others can master a wide range of feelings, like actors, albeit less frequently that their counterparts. On the divine front, priests of The Ascended Five are bestowed many blessings, but these are less powerful that those received by the faithful of the Ancient Gods, who, on the other hand, are granted less.
6. And this is how end your first glimpse of the World of Capedocio, a High Middle-Age, fantastic kingdom, where intrigues and complex machinations rules, full of opening for adventure, exploration and good fights. It is a place where all races have deep culture and unique customs. The chance to found new settelements, engage in magic duels, using rage and passion to fuel them. A place where fame and honour are as important than wealth. Rediscover lost technology, risking the wrath of the celestial. Fight with strange and rare gunpowder weapons. Perform epic feats using the raw power of feelings and imagination to harness magical energy.
Well, that is all for now. Sleep, my grandchild, and may the Hall of Remebrance have a place for you.?
We are currently still working part-time on the world, the 2 other people in the team are currently working on the royal inquisition an their knight while I?m doing a new core class of Alchemist for a race of Gothic sea faring Transylvanian type people. We have high hope for our setting, but time and other life consideration seem to hunt us. If any publisher in interested, contact me by e-mail, and I?ll send you the 10 pager and the map. We have about 80 pages of various, rules, stories and fluff about our world so far. We aim for 300 around midwinter next year. Of course, with actual support and credits, we could go much faster.
