Airwalkrr's Shatterscape OOC (D&D 3.5)

[Kenku17]

The Order of the Changing Sky:

An order of divinely inspired meterologists?

thats the basic gist of it

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.

 

[arcanaman]

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

 

[hafrogman]

[Sblock=Whither Stonheim?]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.[/sblock]

 

[airwalkrr]

Some interesting developments in our world.

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.

[sblock=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.[/sblock]

 

[GlassEye]

...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.

 

[airwalkrr]

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?

 

[Kenku17]

[sblock=Kredon, God of the Sky]

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.[/sblock]

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

[sblock=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.
[/sblock]

 

[airwalkrr]

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.

[sblock=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.
[/sblock]

Also, I have another attachment, the arcane archer.

 

[GlassEye]

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...

[sblock=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.
[/sblock]

By the way, my vote would be for Shatterscape/Terrus.

 

[Kenku17]

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.

[sblock=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.
[/sblock]

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".