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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Forrester" data-source="post: 348150" data-attributes="member: 1279">PurgatoryMight as well post mine . . . lemme know if any of you want to give me large sums of money, eh? --------------------------1.  CORE ETHOSPurgatory is a world in which the so-called “monstrous” humanoids have been hunted to near extinction, and fight a desperate struggle against both the “heroes” of the surface world and the menaces of the deep Underdark.2. WHO ARE THE HEROES?The dregs of the Underdark – kobolds, goblins, orcs, xvarts, the jakaan (descendants of the Drow-bred slave races) – find themselves crushed between greedy elves and humans from above, and power-hungry Drow and Illithid from below. To survive, this downtrodden “scum” must call out to its strongest, brightest, and shiftiest; it is from these that the true heroes of the world emerge. The shrewdest of these new heroes model themselves after the goblin wizard Grisgra. Grisgra was also an engineer and trapmaker, and was so adept he once helped a tribe of humanoid refugees defend their home against no fewer than twelve parties of invading adventurers. The last party defeated carried enough magic to level half the continent, and yet they were no match for Grisgra’s ingenuity. But Grisgra’s time has passed, and the world searches for new heroes now. 3. WHAT DO THEY DO? Some heroes concentrate on clearing out unexplored and dangerous areas fit for settlement. The more successful tribes colonize these areas to increase their numbers; others run to them before the next Surfacer invasion or Drow slave raid. The more daring heroes take the fight directly to their enemies, while those with a greater sense of self-preservation take to spying on them, hoping to eventually lead them away from their tribe, and towards another target. Bands of heroes sometimes act as ambassadors to other tribes . . . with limited success. On that note, legends speak of the Chrunsha, the Leader that will arise to unify all the Humanoid peoples of the Underdark against their common foes. The more cynical note that he’d better show up soon if he plans on leading anything more than a scattering of oozes and underground mushrooms. 4. THREATS, CONFLICTS, AND VILLAINSMost Humanoids live just below the surface world, in the Crust of the Underdark. They face four constant threats. The Drow and Illithid vie for more slaves, more food, more subjects for their sickening experiments. They push up against our heroes from below. The magic-hungry (many would say addicted) elves and humans are convinced of their righteousness and of the inherent evil of any foe who carries something nice that they want. Expeditions of murderous adventurers puncture into our heroes’ homes from above. Opposing clans of goblins, orcs, and bugbears happily kill their own kind to gain control of any underground land suitable for settlement. They press against our heroes from the side, and within. Finally, there are the areas where the space separating the Planes has become so twisted that reality itself splits open. The goblins call these places ungshuk, or “twisted teeth”, and the less said about what comes out of them, the better. 5. THE NATURE OF MAGICMagic is abundant; it seems elven and human adventurers unearth some Artifact of Great Power from the Underdark on a monthly basis. The Humanoids’ hedge wizardry sometimes seems little more than a candle next to the blazing sun of the Surfacers’ magicks. In an effort to reach equality, Humanoid shamans have been experimenting with magicks of different natures (e.g., those that mix the magic of the Hells and the Elemental Planes). Successes are few, though, and typically lead to spells as dangerous to the caster as to their targets. 6. WHAT’S NEW? WHAT’S DIFFERENT? There are new races and new magicks, but what makes Purgatory stand out is the perspective of its protagonists. Adventurers will find this world far more treacherous than most, as their foes will often have more powerful toys than they do! And their foes are legion, consisting of both those who consider themselves inherently good and those who are irredeemably evil. The Surfacers quest for magic and the world’s purification. The Drow seek power and the enslavement of all. The Illithid, as always, seek to blot out the sun. The Humanoids seek only a home free of dangers . . . and maybe a little revenge. They’re willing to split the pillars of Heaven and collapse the caverns of Hell to get it. Unfortunately, Heaven and Hell will be fighting back.</blockquote>

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