Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Boss" data-source="post: 3432060" data-attributes="member: 1247">First... a little history:In my campaign world of Tiessa, a little over 900 years in the past, the elven empire ruled the largest continent called Makinth.  While the elves ruled, their low birth rate precluded there being enough of them to truly control the other races found within their realm, so they used slave overseers... mainly dwarves and hobgoblins, to help control things.  The emperor, disturbed by the rate at which the human race was growing, instituted a program in which breeding was curtailed and selective "pruning" was carried out (ie. wholesale slaughter of human villages).Things changed rapidly when a human envoy from a neighboring island came and assassinated the emperor.  Seeing this as a sign, a cleric of Aramir (Human god of Justice) called for a holy war against the elves.  Humans across the continent rose up against the elves, forming a vast army (much of the elven military was made up of humans, dwarves, goblinoids, etc.) that overran the elven cities and fortresses.  Finally, all of the various armies met at the final elven retreat, a mountain fortress named Goldenspire.What happened next is still a mystery, but on the 12th day of seige, at dawn, a brilliant burst of energy surrounded Goldenspire and the surrounding lands for approximately 10 miles in every direction.  When vision returned to those outside that area, the mountain was gone, leaving only the very top of it with the highest buildings remaining, surrounded by a vast lake.  Of the elves, there was no sign, nor any sign of much of the vast army that surrounded the fortress.While the losses in life were huge, the fact that the elves were gone was celebrated, and quickly, the military leaders began dividing up the continent.  A mysterious order of monks called The Brotherhood, took possession of Goldenspire, with the blessings of the church of Aramir.  Here endeth the history lesson... now for the current action:The party stumbles into the machinations of one Lord Tamberlain, who hires the group to seek out and recover an ancient artifact, The Shroud of Gallinah.  This shroud, reported to have the power to raise the dead regardless of circumstances, is needed for the Lords recently deceased wife, or at least that is what he is telling his pawns.  In reality, Lord Tamberlain is a Wyrm, the last elven emperor's steed and companion, and he wishes to use the shroud to return the emperor to life.Once this is accomplished, the emperor will seek shelter with the half-elves (they breed true, and are xenophobic, living on a series of islands north of the continent with their dragon guardians) and begin to work out how to return the elves from their exile, for that is what happened.  The elves used a pool of chaos, the very stuff that the gods used to create the world, as a portal to another realm.  Unfortunately, the realm is one of chaos, and the elves are changed greatly from what they once were.  Now more monstrous than ever, their return will spell the beginning of a new age, or the end of a world.Of course, there are several other plotlines in progress at the same time... the lich lords that control a nation behind the scenes, the desert kingdom in which a rebellion by it's female populace is in the wind, and a couple of others I still have to flesh out.</blockquote>

Verification