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Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="IstraRaugir" data-source="post: 5947135" data-attributes="member: 6669195">Great responses so far guys. I've been working on something new myself (with a big nod to the Clayr of Garth Nix's Old Kingdom novels and Castle Heterodyne from Studio Foglio's Girl Genius). GreywardIn the far northwest corner of the kingdom built into and onto the Gray Cliffs lays the oldest settlement know to man: the city of Greyward. Stretching back to before the kingdom was formed and even before the birth of the city states before that. At its peak in the Imperial days Greyward was a marvel of technology and spellcraft, the pinnacle of human achievement, nearly a living thin unto itself, a marble beacon of progress and civilization. That is of course, before it all came crashing down.Like anything about the Great Catastrophe no one is really sure what happened to the old Greyward. All we know is that when the winds were stilled the city stood empty and it watched on as the world burned. When the survivors regrouped and the first city states started forming some looked at Greyward for safety. And while the city’s marvels were running wild it was still better than the horrors outside. So the people stayed and built their shelter in the city heeding no mind to the ruins between their homes, after all only wild magic and broken machinery awaited them there.But as time passed on Greyward grew once again beneath the remains of the Grand Tower. And slowly the ruins on the surface were cleared and explored and curiosity began to grow. No more than three centuries after the Great Catastrophe they uncovered the Old Library of Greyward. A terrifying death trap in every sense of the word, but the Old Library also holds unimaginable knowledge and power.And from the people sprang a few curious souls, so impassioned by the thirst for knowledge that they would brave dangers of the Old Library. They became the first Librarians. The Old LibraryThe Old Library of Greyward lies more or less in the center of the old city bounds and extends into the bedrock for at least 24 levels. Its halls are home to powerful artifacts, unmatched spells and ancient knowledge. But more often than not though bewildering trinkets and undecipherable tomes are all that is found along with an array of deadly traps, rogue spells and bizarre creatures.After more than a century of work the Librarians have managed to reclaim the top few levels and have accurately mapped the first dozen levels (a difficult feat due to the Library’s habit of warping reality).  The LibrariansThe Librarians themselves are probably one of the most powerful factions around. However because the Old Library is the focus of their endeavors they rarely extend their influence into the Greater Kingdom. The organization itself mostly resembles a military institute and is divided into 5 subsections: The First Order is the elite fighting force of the Librarians and every member is an expert with both blade and magic. They are sent on the dangerous retrieval missions to the deeper levels and as a result they excel at destroying or circumventing obstacles.The Second Order is the main offensive force of the Librarians and consists mostly fighters, archers, mages and healers. Their job is to support the First Order on their larger missions or to provide protection for the Third Order.The Third Order has a dual purpose: They retrieve or capture any interesting objectives for the Fourth Order to analyze. They also pacify the areas that the First and Second Order have removed the most obvious threats from. This group consist of various specialist trapmasters and binders along with a few footmen, priests and beastmasters.The Fourth Order focuses on the analysis, documentation and potential reproduction of the finds retrieved from the Library. Their ranks are filled with specialized alchemists, craftsmen and spellcasters equal to those of Ironholdt’s Guild of Innovation.The Fifth Order is the largest (and some would argue most important) order of Librarians. They record and manage all the information concerning the Old Library. They process all reports and recovered texts, maintain the Grand Map and provide valuable intelligence for any missions planned.  PS: I tried using fancy spoiler blocks for this post but it gave a wierd double box with the text divided between them (or just missing). Anyone know anything about that?PPS: This piece might get touched up later so be sure to keep your eyes peeled ^^</blockquote>

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