Urban Arcana inspired by the Lord of the Rings
The basic premise will be that in the deep past, perhaps about 3000 years or so, there was a between the light and the darkness. Darkness prevailed, and began to hunt down the light, and make sure that any power that resided in the world was in the hands of the Dark Lord. The shadow of the Dark Lord crept over the world, and relegated many things to the realm of fantasy and myth. All to hide the victory of the Dark lord, and to better secure his mastery of reality and creation, but over time, the Dark lord has become distant his agenda, unknown. His minions have begun to fight amonsgt themselves, and the defenses that kept magic at bay have broken down... and now magic is returning, and the forces of Light are gearing for round 2, in the midts of the modern world.
The Hidden Past
In the distant past, the race of men, in alliance with the other good races of the world mounted a battle against the encroaching darkness of Arik-Dun. Arik-Dun was the alliance of the foul races of Shadow, lead by the Dark Lord of Shadow. The battle was apocalyptic and whole cities and lands were lost in the destruction.
But the alliance faltered before the strength of the Dark Lord and his fell armies. The shadow crept over the land, as men fell into servitude for the Dark Lord, and his legions subjugated the peoples of Old Earth, and created a new order eradicating magic, both arcane and divine from the minds of the common folk, replaced by the illusion of Reason and Scientific Knowledge.
The Aelfar fled into the Far Lands, abandoning the world of men. Those that stayed behind, went into hiding and continued their war against the Dark Lord in the shadows, but even in time such fighting was stifled as the forces of Darkness secured their grip on humanity, and the world at large.
The other Good Races were either eradicated or driven into hiding by the encroaching grip of the Shadow Forces. The Dark Lord’s reign was secure, his power was absolute, and his forces marshaled in an age of Reason of Scientific Progress. And the world forgot about the age of Magic, and became an Industrialized World.
The Modern Day
There is no magic, dragons are not real, and that thing last night on the news was just an escaped gorilla from the zoo. The modern world is oblivious to the past, the real past of the World, before the Dark Lord’s minions rewrote history, to hide their true power, and make their subjugated minions more pliable. Shadow’s now loom when something remotely supernatural happens in the Modern World,
The Dark Lord is but a memory or at least he keeps his presence in the Shadows as his minions continue the work that was set into motion long ago, but evil has a way of turning upon itself. The Fell races lurk in the shadows scrabbling what power they can, as the Shadow weakens, and the forces that have been held at bay begin to rise once more. A Third Age is coming; Magic is returning, and the Shadow retreats.
The Modern World is in for a surprise…
I have a few write-ups for some of the typical eveil nasties that dwell within the Dark Lord's ranks..
