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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Soulmage" data-source="post: 342065" data-attributes="member: 5403">Here's mineThe first rule of writing is write what you know, so I stuck to what I knew.  Not particularly original, but I wanted to be sure that if I was picked I could follow through with some good ideas.I wasn't really expecting to win anyway, since my idea isn't too far off a "conventional" world.  But I would have felt bad if I didn't at least stick my hat in.  Here it is:___________________________________________________1. Core Ethos SentenceDark Empires is a setting of gritty fantasy where adventurers plumb the ruins of ancient civilizations for eldritch secrets and battle the minions of decadent regional warlords who rule the continent in the wake of the collapse of a mighty evil empire.2. Who are the Heroes?The PCs! The Githul-badar, (An organization of sorcerer/knights.), The dwarves of Hallowstone Hall, The Knights of the Emerald Crown, Khaz’Rad the Disciple3. What do they do?The Githul-badar.  Also known as the Iron Mages of Githul Mountain, this group of sorcerer/knights defends the lands of the Githul Hegemony from the constant influx of outsiders brought to that realm by the Vortex.The Dwarves of Hallowstone Hall.  Scholars who seek to preserve the accumulated knowledge of the peoples of Soldinor - a world that is sinking once again into decay.  They are defended by the Hammers of Durek, an order of Dwarven paladins who protect the runic libraries of Hallowstone Hall from the evils that lurk in the underdark and the plundering Overmancers of the surface kingdoms.  The Knights of the Emerald Crown were the elite bodyguards of the Lord of the Emerald Throne, ruler of the Old Kingdom.  When the benevolent Lord of the Emerald Throne was supplanted by the Crimson King, the Knights of the Emerald Crown formed a resistance movement dedicated to restoring power to the Emerald Throne.  After decades of struggle, they successfully engineered the death of the Crimson King, but were unprepared for the chaos that erupted afterward.  The Knights now seek a leader who can find a way to reunite the Old Kingdom under the rule of the Emerald Throne.Khaz’Rad the Disciple seeks followers to bring new life to the faiths of the benevolent gods of the Old Kingdom.4. Threats, Conflicts, Villains?The Overmancers.  Six powerful wizards who were once the minions of the Crimson King, ruler of the Empire.  After the Crimson King was assassinated the Empire dissolved into a civil war that has lasted a hundred years.  During this chaos these wizards, the most powerful and cunning followers of the Crimson King, have carved smaller kingdoms out of the former Empire .  Some of the Overmancers seek to reestablish the Empire under their rule  Others pursue their own arcane research or mysterious agendas.  All are hungry for the knowledge that can be dredged from the ancient ruins of previous civilizations.  The conflicting goals and territorial ambitions of the Overmancers have resulted in a land riven with conflict as the mighty achievements of the Empire slowly fade into dust.Dunlock the Conqueror. A human warlord who has united the nomadic Uzrik-Natas: barbaric tribesmen from the plains to the South.  Dunlock seeks to sweep away the last vestiges of the Empire that remain in the form of the regional Magocracies ruled by the Overmancers.The Eternal.  An unknown force that now rules much of the stone deeps (underdark) including the mindflayer and drow societies as well as legions of undead.  Shrouded in mystery, it has eluded the best efforts of the Dwarves of Hallowstone Hall to ascertain its nature.The Vortex.  A mysterious phenomenon that draws in creatures from other planes and drops them near Githul Mountain in the heart of the Githul Hegemony.  The Vortex traps them on the prime material plane until they can get far enough away from its influence to escape.  Some outsiders choose to stay but are relentlessly hunted by the Githul-badar who have been trying to cleanse their realm of these “planar filth” for a thousand years.5. The Nature of MagicAlmost unheard of elsewhere, sorcery is common amongst the people of the Githul Hegemony, where centuries of interaction with outsiders have left a magical heritage in their blood.  Wizardry is a common diversion for the idle wealthy in the surface kingdoms, but few have the dedication for a serious pursuit.  Most of those who do join one of the schools of Wizardry sponsored by the Overmancers for developing and indoctrinating new wizards into the status-quo.  Ancient wizards had magic far beyond what is currently known and so adventurers and minions of the Overmancers  are constantly seeking out old ruins to search for forgotten secrets.6. What’s new?  What’s Different?Dark Empires is a darker setting than D&D has traditionally been set in.  In this case, the former Empire was a mighty lawful evil bureaucracy.  Brutal but effective, and generally preferable to the decay into which the world has fallen.  Opportunities for both dungeon crawls and political intrigue abound and players will enjoy playing in a morally relative setting where good and evil are not absolutes.</blockquote>

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