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Message: <blockquote data-quote="derverdammte" data-source="post: 340225" data-attributes="member: 3610">Good idea.  I'll post mine, too.  It wasn't exactly great, but maybe someone here can get some use out of it.BENEATH THE GRAYBENEATH THE GRAY: An ancient land shattered by old magic, where underground-dwelling humanoids and magic-mad spellcasters battle to reclaim the lighted surface of their planet.The potential for heroism is widespread throughout the underground population; a wide variety of races and classes can effectively accomplish great things. Reasons for adventuring can be mundane (e.g., gaining money, power, or treasure), or they can be noble and heroic (e.g., disrupting schemes of the Scions of the Flame, or even taking the battle to the surface in a guerrilla war against the Burning Ones).Heroes fight against surface-dwelling outsiders, struggle to ensure their races’ survival in the underworld, and ultimately attempt to topple the authority of the outsiders from the world of the Flame, making the surface safe again for the native races of the planet. It is possible for a hero to master the secrets of the Gray, tapping its power against the Burning Ones, but just as often, heroes can be found sheparding a small community, protecting them from immediate threats. In fact, these latter sorts of heroes achieve more recognition among the common populace; they are more “real” and immediate—they don’t spend their time battling distant threats that few understand.The Scions of the Flame are the primary threat to the heroes; they are a traitorous faction of humanoids and planetouched who have allied themselves with the Burning Ones (the outsiders who rule the surface world). They kidnap underground-dwellers and use them as slaves or food, and they spy for the Burning Ones, alerting them of any threats to their authority. The nature of magic changed during the massive cataclysm that hollowed out the planet. Magic flows from a continuum between the Flame and the Void (two pulsing centers of energy; the Void is located in the center of the world and the Flame is outside the planet itself, burning like a second sun) called the Gray. The Gray manifests physically as a tremendous column of opalescent energy spanning the gap between the Flame and Void. Magic is plentiful, but it inevitably causes insanity and physical changes, so wizards, clerics, and other spellcasting classes are either considered outcasts or brave martyrs. BENEATH THE GRAY twists convention by reversing the typical association of light = good, dark = evil, making the PC heroes live on the lightless, hollow interior of their world. PCs have an unusual set of challenges, having to survive underground in cities carved out of the rock, and venturing to the surface to fight against the evil light-bearing outsiders who have taken over. Gameplay takes place in a world blasted by old magical battles, a world rife with dimensional rifts spewing hostile Burning Ones. Additionally, the unusual source of magic and the high price it carries will attract players looking for a unique roleplaying experience.</blockquote>

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