As a heretical cult of Chaos, they would be those in a community who have touched Chaos far too deeply to ever return, now they flow and dance with it, as mutable as the very future they see. Normally they would be hunted down, but their predictions are beloved by the farmers, and thus their conspiracy with Chaos is looked upon with a kind of resigned benevolance.
This would be a more mystical order, they stare into the clouds for a moment, with eyes unseeing, and then utter their predictions for the coming days.
Now this sounds interesting! Hmm...I think ill run with this...will have "Kredon, Lesser God of the Sky" up later then, plus I have an idea for "what happens if a dreamblade gets you!"
Oh, and "Nightmares and Dreamscapes" sounds like a preety good name.
Some interesting ideas floating around. If Arcanaman doesn't mind, I'd like to revise the Arcana Pact a little bit to make it between the elves and some other power. I kind of like not having any active gods floating around.
I think a Fey-based pact might work particularly well. The Sidhe/Seelie Court grant the elves power in exchange for extracting a promise to never use the magic to work against the natural order
go ahead if you want to make it better go ahead feel stupid for not seeing your post earlier
__________________ Human Wizard:"The world is but a manifestation of the dreamings
The dwarven kingdom of Stonheim lies, or lay, southeast of the Dyne River valley. Where the mountains rise up, reaching for the skies, the tunnels of Stoneheim run deep inside, a vast network of interconnected caverns.
Stonheim and the human lands below had friendly relationships, trade flowed both ways, and each power stayed in their element, never seeking to intrude on their neighbors. But friendship will only take you so far.
The Dwarves saw the coming of the dreamer, and in response they hid themselves away. They sealed off the doors to their kingdom, and turned inwards. They left the outside to fall to the nightmares, and believed themselves safe, deep under the mountains. But nightmares can lurk in any darkness. And the sealed doors served to keep the dwarves in as well as any help from getting in.
Despite the consant seige of nightmarish creatures from below, the dwarves endured. In the end, it was a far more mundane threat that toppled the kingdom. After the tide of nightmares ebbed, in the aftermath of the dreamer, the orcs struck from below. During the time of the dreamer, the orcs had been as nomads beneath the earth, wandering free through deep caverns, and somehow staying one step ahead of the nightmares that wandered the depths with them. And when it came time to rise to the surface once more, they found themselves beneath the weakened dwarven kingdom. As the orcs rose, they crushed Stonheim beneath their feet, and now their king sits upon the Iron Throne, ruling over the conquered dwarves.
At first the dwarves railed against the invaders, but in time, new generations of dwarves rose, having never known life free of the orcish yoke. These younger dwarves are often battered, broken slaves, missing much of their ancestral spirirt. Some remember the old ways, and plot against the orcs from within. Some have escaped to the deeps, and dream of retaking their land. A few have earned their freedom, through whim, or complicity with the orcs.
The once monolithic dwarven nation has splintered under the weight of the orcish rule, and now dwarves distrust each other as much as their captors. Those few seen walking the human lands are a far cry from the noble craftsmen of older days.
__________________
SOUL: Secret Organization for Underground Levity
You can't stop the laughter!
THE HIVE: One Mind, No Purpose. Public Member of the Secret Fraternal Order of the Hive.
Elves live in the forests to the west and are fairly secluded. They have a fey pact that grants them magic in exchange for certain terms. If any of you are ever interested, I believe we could devise an affiliation (see PH2 for how affiliations work) for those who follow the Arcana Compact. It would most likely be a racial affiliation for elves.
Dwarves dwell in the mountains to the south and are generally slaves of the orcs, though PC dwarves would of course be freed of their oppressors by hook or crook. I can imagine a dwarven liberation front as a potential PC affiliation as well.
Halfling clans are nomadic, driven by a shared dream that few of them remember. They are gypsy-like and many of them are rogues. Pretty standard fare.
The gnomes I really like (once again, great write-up, Deuce Traveler). A good explanation for the illusory abilities of gnomes. Gnomes were deeply touched by the Dreamer, be it mania or mechanical focus.
Goblins were driven to massive infighting by the Dream. They may have even been the dominant race before the Dream and it was this infighting that caused them to fall from power. A goblin hero named Ghrist Yon led several others in a ritual to save his race, which succeeded, but ended in his own demise.
And now I would like to add a bit of my own.
The Knights of Wren and Sir Engvold
Everyone knows the story of Sir Engvold the Tragic. Were it not for Sir Engvold, the Dream would have continued, so the stories say, for Sir Engvold alone possessed the willpower to do what needed to be done to end the Dream once and for all. Unfortunately that required the taking of an innocent life.
Though celebrated as a hero, Sir Engvold spent the remainder of his life lamenting his unforgivable and yet necessary crime. He devoted his few remaining years to the construction of a memorial and monument to the Dreamer upon Mount Viskol, and it was there that he founded the Order of the Wren. This order of knights were charged with the defense of the innocent and the pursuit of harmony. They roam the land carrying out this charge to this day, and their presence is as common as that of the Lawgiver's parsons.
Sir Engvold is the shortest-ruling Knight-Master over the order, having served for only two days when he took his own life. The memorial complete and the order founded, he had nothing left to live for and could no longer bear to live with the pain of his terrible act.
...If any of you want to consider an option like this, let me know...
I considered it since I think psions are prone to a messy death at first level. But, ultimately, the concept for Arden can be mostly done without the need for multiclassing. I'll stick with psion, or, if I can manage it, create an Illene Mystic class to use instead.
Re: Party Composition. Two heretical mystics, a paladin, (possibly) an akolite, and a demon summoner. Can't wait to find out what could possibly bring this disparate group together!
Re: Stonheim. Very nice reimaging of dwarves and orcs.
It might be better to imagine the Illene Mystics as an affiliation rather than a character class, as I can imagine a number of types of characters who might be sympathetic to their cause.
I have an idea of my own for the campaign setting: Shatterscape. It conveys the sense that a lot has been broken apart in this world without making an overt reference to the thematic dream elements. As for the world, I like the name Terrus for some reason. Entries so far:
Shatterscape
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
Dreams Shatter
Any more submissions? I will leave it until Friday and then put up a poll over the weekend. Do we want to let other people vote in our poll or just us?
Among the numerous chaotic cults, there is many time a correlation of the belief of a god named Kredon, a lesser god of the sky. Usually a subordinate of the God(s) of nature, Kredon is known as being a god of blessing and punishment. As caretaker of the sky, Kredon is believed to control both the changing of the seasons and the ways of the sky, bringing both bright sunny days, and wrathful storms. Its the unpredicability of the sky that makes many who believe in Kredon say that he is one who likes to toy with mortal men, and that only his true deciples (the Order of the Changing Sky) are able to tell what his plans are.
On top of this, I think for simplicity sake, the Order is made of two kinds of warriors, the Diviners(who tell the forecasts) and the Defenders(who strive to keep thier Order safe)
and now, something a little different
the Moaners
While there are no recorded deaths by the so called "Dreamblades" there are rumors about. Anyone who has followed the road between cities during the dead of night have spoken about so called "Moaners" spectral entities that haunts the roads, howling and moaning. Most reports of these ghosts seem to be ghosts in the image of normal folks, many in there nightgowns or sleeping clothers(thus the rumored correlation). The reports also say that the Moaners seem to care nothing about anyone on the road, and seem to just pass thourgh oncoming travelers as they follow the road along.
The write-up for Kredon is interesting. I like the idea of some confrontation down the road where an akolite calls out followers of the apostate cult of Kredon, airy beings with flighty determination (if that odd juxtaposition makes sense).
The dreamwraiths... not sure how much that gives me to work with. When I started reading I was thinking you were going to say that dreamwraiths are the result of those killed by dreamblades, which I thought might be an interesting angle. We never got to see the dreamblade idea developed though.
Here is a thought while I am on the subject. How about we make dreamblades a special kind of magic item rather than a character class. Anyone can use a dreamblade, but each dreamblade has a special power that can only be unlocked by those with the Dreamtouched feat.
Dreamtouched
DREAMTOUCHED
You experience dreams more vividly than others and are capable of lucid dreaming, or controlling your dreams. Prerequisite: Must be able to dream. Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to Will saves. In addition you gain the ability to bond to a dreamblade. After a dreamblade has been in your possession for at least 24 hours and you have spent at least 8 hours sleeping, you may choose to bond to that dreamblade. You may only bond to one dreamblade at a time. While you are bonded to a dreamblade, you have an empathic link with the dreamblade, gain knowledge of its special power, and may use its special power.
Dreamblade special powers vary depending on the dreamblade. They would be priced like holy avengers, in the sense that they are good for some types of characters, but not all.
Also, I have another attachment, the arcane archer.
I'm sensing a bit of a contradiction here. On page 1 we have a proposal for a philosophical religion without gods. Now we're adding gods. So, in an attempt at reconciliation...
The Invested
Beyond the realm of dream is a sea of chaos where all order breaks down. Intelligences and powers rise and shatter unable to maintain form or thought for long in the churning of chaos. Until the Dreamer came and showed those quicksilver intelligences a path back to the lands of law. Bursting forth from the dream, those powers clothed themselves in the material at hand: stone and shadow and sky and the other substances that make up Terrus. Many of these Invested found their power greatly bound by the substance they clothed themselves in. Others, however, still held great reserves of power and could also tap the dream-realm to maintain it. Eventually they learned they could transfer some of that ability to mankind...
So, this allows 'gods'; if by 'god' it is meant 'something with a lot more power than man'. And elementals, too, I suppose.
By the way, my vote would be for Shatterscape/Terrus.
The write-up for Kredon is interesting. I like the idea of some confrontation down the road where an akolite calls out followers of the apostate cult of Kredon, airy beings with flighty determination (if that odd juxtaposition makes sense).
The dreamwraiths... not sure how much that gives me to work with. When I started reading I was thinking you were going to say that dreamwraiths are the result of those killed by dreamblades, which I thought might be an interesting angle. We never got to see the dreamblade idea developed though.
Here is a thought while I am on the subject. How about we make dreamblades a special kind of magic item rather than a character class. Anyone can use a dreamblade, but each dreamblade has a special power that can only be unlocked by those with the Dreamtouched feat.
Dreamtouched
DREAMTOUCHED
You experience dreams more vividly than others and are capable of lucid dreaming, or controlling your dreams. Prerequisite: Must be able to dream. Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to Will saves. In addition you gain the ability to bond to a dreamblade. After a dreamblade has been in your possession for at least 24 hours and you have spent at least 8 hours sleeping, you may choose to bond to that dreamblade. You may only bond to one dreamblade at a time. While you are bonded to a dreamblade, you have an empathic link with the dreamblade, gain knowledge of its special power, and may use its special power.
Dreamblade special powers vary depending on the dreamblade. They would be priced like holy avengers, in the sense that they are good for some types of characters, but not all.
Also, I have another attachment, the arcane archer.
Hmm...really? I think I goofed, cause I thought they were some kind of dream like boogie man monster(thus where the idea for the wraiths came from) Ill think some more about the Dreamwraiths, or probably a better term would be "road ghouls".
I'm sensing a bit of a contradiction here. On page 1 we have a proposal for a philosophical religion without gods. Now we're adding gods. So, in an attempt at reconciliation...
The Invested
Beyond the realm of dream is a sea of chaos where all order breaks down. Intelligences and powers rise and shatter unable to maintain form or thought for long in the churning of chaos. Until the Dreamer came and showed those quicksilver intelligences a path back to the lands of law. Bursting forth from the dream, those powers clothed themselves in the material at hand: stone and shadow and sky and the other substances that make up Terrus. Many of these Invested found their power greatly bound by the substance they clothed themselves in. Others, however, still held great reserves of power and could also tap the dream-realm to maintain it. Eventually they learned they could transfer some of that ability to mankind...
So, this allows 'gods'; if by 'god' it is meant 'something with a lot more power than man'. And elementals, too, I suppose.
By the way, my vote would be for Shatterscape/Terrus.
I apologize if I am causing a contridiction...I guess I thought the no god thing was more of the christian mirror in that there is a belief he is there and he controls things from afar(even though there is no real evidence) more than that there is the belief in that there is no gods at all. The Invested is a very good concept.
I seem to be constantly stepping on toes right now, just coming in...Ill try my best to read over whats happening agian, and try to post things that follow within it.
Edit:talking about stepping on toes, I see the title Dreamwraiths are already in use, and gave my ghostly idea the term "The Moaners"...will try topry into my mind later
Don't worry about stepping on toes. As the DM, I would have said something if I felt your ideas would be pressing the envelope of the overall vision of the project. I believe there is room for hafrogman's proposal GlassEye refers to in this post as well as your proposal for Kredon. Whether Kredon is truly a full-fledged god as the rules of the game define it is probably a matter of philosophy anyway. Kenku17's idea could be one way of looking at it. There are probably a myriad of other possible explanations for characters in the game world. But you can still assign him domains and a portfolio and such.
The main idea to take away here is that there is not a vast pantheon on gods and goddesses scheming and breeding and bickering and getting involved in the affairs of the world as you see so often (Forgotten Realms, I'm looking at you). As it stands, the world "as we know it" has one faith, that of the Lawgiver, and everyone else is considered a heretic. But what about everyone else? There is still room for corner cases and other beliefs, even if they are not mainstream. The Lawgiver's church is likely to be the one with temples in every city however, so a priest of Kredon is not likely to find a lot of allies.
Also, it is ok for you to add to the lore of the dreamwraith, even though you didn't realize someone else had already used the term. It could just be a rumor that they are perfectly harmless. Or maybe the other way around.
Oh, and one more class to add. I'll probably do all the DMG ones, except the archmage and heirophant, whose abilities can just be made available as feats to wizards and clerics of 13th level and higher.
Edit: 2nd version of the blackguard uploaded. I realized I forgot to add an Ex-blackguard section (even though there isn't one in the DMG) and the fiendish servant chart was the still based on the old one.
I feel I need to apologize. Kenku, I didn't mean to imply that you were doing something wrong. Nor did I mean to imply that you weren't doing your job, Airwalkrr. I was posting from work as we were closing and I didn't give as much thought to my choice of words and phrasing as I should have. For all that, I apologize.
The idea of the Invested as elementals has been rattling around in my head since early on when I was considering a summoning sorceress. When I read Kenku's write-up for Kredon it seemed to fit pretty well with that idea but from the point of view of a Lawgiver. Unfortunately, in my haste that last part didn't make from my brain to my fingers and into my post.
The two terms could also work in a generic sense. A dreamblade could be anyone who manifests the powers of chaos and dream. This opens the idea to well, just about anybody who can do something strange that the Lawgivers don't like: sorcerers, wizards, psi of all kinds, clerics even. And a dreamwraith could be any number of creatures that manifest from chaos/dream. Given the mutable nature of dreams there are bound to be lots of different types.
Since we are talking about the divinations brought about by those connected to Dream, should we also look at alternating some of the divination spells so that Diviners have to enter sleep or a trance in order to use a small portion of their magic?
__________________ My Involvement:
Spoiler:
Player of Doral Kinsman the Beguiler in Who Wants to Be a Wayfinder IC
Since the Illene Mystics announce their affiliation to the order with the tattoos crossing their faces and hands it has been joked that the only way to leave the order is by the hand of a Lawgiver. The Illene themselves say there are two ways. The first is to achieve a perfect understanding of the law and transcend this life into a higher state of existence. While they claim this state has been achieved by several anakoretes (high level mystics) there is no way to prove it one way or the other.
The second way is to lose control of the chaos that they have invited into their bodies. If the Illene cannot regain control fairly quickly they are lost to the dream. And so are born the Reaverwraiths. Their presence is announced by obscene black symbols that hover and pulse to some unheard manic beat. Since the reaverwraiths haunt the night these symbols are rarely seen until it is too late and the reaverwraith begins to manifest. The bodies of reaverwraiths vary greatly but are generally horrid mockeries and mutations of the men and women that they used to be. The only constant seems to be the symbols that stain the beasts body where the face might have once been. Understandably, the Lawgivers point to the existance of reaverwraiths as an argument against the Illene Mystics.
Is there anything on the peeps that run the House of Light yet? If not I may have an idea there. Also, what would be a good area to stick a drudic-esque woods?
Since we are talking about the divinations brought about by those connected to Dream, should we also look at alternating some of the divination spells so that Diviners have to enter sleep or a trance in order to use a small portion of their magic?
I wouldn't want to make it mandatory, but as a variant we might be able to come up with something along those lines. I would imagine it would be a feat or something though. Such as a feat that grants you a benefit when using spells of the scrying subschool as long as you enter a dream-like trance.
Re: reaverwraiths, so they are essentially Illene mystics who got in over their head. Interesting stuff.
Not sure about the House of Light, Kenku17. Not sure if I have seen a reference to it yet. Are you talking about a religious order? And right now our map is fairly tiny. We know we have mountains to the south and a forest with some elves to the west, but other than that feel free to place the druidic order wherever you like. They could even share the forest with the elves. Of course, nothing says druids have to live in forests.
Not sure about the House of Light, Kenku17. Not sure if I have seen a reference to it yet. Are you talking about a religious order?
He may be referring to the Dawn House that was the first thing I ever threw into the campaign, back on the first page.
If I recall, I set that up to be look after by orphans previously saved by the house. But that still leaves plenty of room for founders, funders, secret backing organizations, not so secret backing organizations, etc. etc.
Throw anything in there you like, Kenku.
__________________
SOUL: Secret Organization for Underground Levity
You can't stop the laughter!
THE HIVE: One Mind, No Purpose. Public Member of the Secret Fraternal Order of the Hive.
Ran under the Church of the Lawgiver, the Guardians of the Dawn House are a small set of warriors that work with the Orphans of the Dawn House during the night to keep the patrons of it and their employees safe from whatever comes their way. During the day however, the Guard is primarly set out on small quests around Narovan to help support the common folk who are in need of services, and to fight for the justice of thoes who cannot do it themselves(as long that it doesn't require the breaking of laws that is). The Gaurd is largely made of LG(and sometimes NG) Clerics, Fighters and Wizards, but there are exceptions.
Figured thats a preety good start of what I have been thinking...in some ways with how religion is here, Im thinking domain rules for clerics are going to be based more so on "who you work for" so...
Alignment:Lawful Good, Neutral Good
Dawn House Guardian Domains:Law, Good, Healing, Sun?(since there is no light domain), Protection
Non Cleric Guardians have as a Class Skill Knowledge: (Religion)
As for the other thing...meh...its not actually drudic, but this is what I was thinking of...
Forest of the Bronze Dragon
To the eastern side of the road that leads between Narovan and Westfork is a rather large forest with an ancient tale. Legend has it that the original trees of the forest were first grown from the body of a thousand year old Bronze Dragon as a gift from him to the Elves and Townsfolk of the region for all the help they had given him in his life. Before the time of the nightmares, the forest was a rich and full of life, and very much a paridise of sounds and smells to thoes who chanced a walk though it. The forest seemed to also give a blessing of a plentiful harvest to thoes that farmed around it.
This all changed when the nightmares came, as the forest and the animals within it were thoroghly thrashed and twisted by the nightmares, warping the place and blacking the wood, and removing much of the living life from within. Since that time, very few people have ventured within, as the warped tries, and sudden growls heard when you are near scare them away.
There is a strange hope however, as there seems to be a new lively, rampant growth occuring along the fringes of the forest which is very primal in nature...a rampant growth which is scaring the farmers as the forest seems to be attempting to rapidly gain more ground from thoes that live around it. This strange growth has led to many a whisper, including talk of the emergance of a council of druids inside the forest, the forest itself taking land that supposedly the farmers took long ago...or possibly even that the dragon has been reborn agian within it...
(The forest is temprate in nature, even though the dragons supposedly aren't as I last remeber)
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