Stormonu
NeoGrognard
I was watching my youngest son play around the house today (carrying a toy Winchester rifle and plastic sword), and got struck by inspiration for a new campaign world I wanted to share. 
It is an age of Darkness. The last of the Dragon Wars had just ended when the decaying, dragon-blooded Romani empire was struck in its very heart by the Ironheart comet. The death of the empire, and the acceleration of the decay of magic has brought a dark age upon the land. The races of magic are in retreat as the weird power of the fallen comet twists their body into corrupted, mindless murdering things.
From these ashes rise a new breed - the Knights of Blades and Bullets. Many of these "knights" are simply mercenaries or treasure seekers, using their skills to make their way in the world by fighting the fights of others. There are others of these knights who are true protectors - pledging their blade and their gun to protect others from the rampage of wayward knights or other fouler things.
In the wake of the fallen comet, the fallout revealed a new substance called Nitrate. By exposing this white powder to a sharp blow from a metal object, it causes Nitrate to explosively react. The only thing that seems to be able to resist or contain the explosive force of Nitrate is starmetal - a silvery, rare metal from the fallen Ironheart comet. From judicious crafting of starmetal and powered by Nitrate, guns of a sort have been developed, though it is still an age where a strong sword arm can wreck equal havoc. Knights are often distinguished by their (intricate) metal breastplates, broad sword and the pistol they carry. The more arrogant knights who trust in gun over blade often carry rifles and sport only a small sword (with the smaller the blade meaning a higher confidence in their shooting ability).
Knights are often accompanied by a bevy of other individuals; spies, assistants, men-at-arms and others - sometimes even members of the vanishing breed of wizards. A rare few can call upon allies of the magic races - elves, dwarves and gnomes. Knights among the magic races are practically unheard of - for starmetal is a bane to these races, transforming them into slavering beasts referred to as goblins.
The enemies of the knights and their associates are many; outlaws, goblinoids and even other knights. Most communities seek out to entice knights to protect their lands and life from the threats in the wilderness - though there have been enough burned by self-serving knights that communities exist with deep hatred of the knights and their trappings.
As stated earlier, magic is dying. Once a tool wielded during the Romani age of sorcerer-kings, its source was said to be in the great dragons that dwelt in the land. When many of the dragons were slain during the Dragon Wars, magic began to decline. Many whisper that as the last of the Great Wyrms was felled, it called down the Ironheart comet to twist what remained of magic. Now, magical power is but a shadow of its former self, and the presence of star metal has corrupted the very fabric of magic, making magic use a dangerous, body-twisting power. Where once practitioners of magic lived openly and opulently, they are now treated like lepers - and it is not uncommon for them to share such an appearance, if not disguised by magic.
It is an age of Darkness. The last of the Dragon Wars had just ended when the decaying, dragon-blooded Romani empire was struck in its very heart by the Ironheart comet. The death of the empire, and the acceleration of the decay of magic has brought a dark age upon the land. The races of magic are in retreat as the weird power of the fallen comet twists their body into corrupted, mindless murdering things.
From these ashes rise a new breed - the Knights of Blades and Bullets. Many of these "knights" are simply mercenaries or treasure seekers, using their skills to make their way in the world by fighting the fights of others. There are others of these knights who are true protectors - pledging their blade and their gun to protect others from the rampage of wayward knights or other fouler things.
In the wake of the fallen comet, the fallout revealed a new substance called Nitrate. By exposing this white powder to a sharp blow from a metal object, it causes Nitrate to explosively react. The only thing that seems to be able to resist or contain the explosive force of Nitrate is starmetal - a silvery, rare metal from the fallen Ironheart comet. From judicious crafting of starmetal and powered by Nitrate, guns of a sort have been developed, though it is still an age where a strong sword arm can wreck equal havoc. Knights are often distinguished by their (intricate) metal breastplates, broad sword and the pistol they carry. The more arrogant knights who trust in gun over blade often carry rifles and sport only a small sword (with the smaller the blade meaning a higher confidence in their shooting ability).
Knights are often accompanied by a bevy of other individuals; spies, assistants, men-at-arms and others - sometimes even members of the vanishing breed of wizards. A rare few can call upon allies of the magic races - elves, dwarves and gnomes. Knights among the magic races are practically unheard of - for starmetal is a bane to these races, transforming them into slavering beasts referred to as goblins.
The enemies of the knights and their associates are many; outlaws, goblinoids and even other knights. Most communities seek out to entice knights to protect their lands and life from the threats in the wilderness - though there have been enough burned by self-serving knights that communities exist with deep hatred of the knights and their trappings.
As stated earlier, magic is dying. Once a tool wielded during the Romani age of sorcerer-kings, its source was said to be in the great dragons that dwelt in the land. When many of the dragons were slain during the Dragon Wars, magic began to decline. Many whisper that as the last of the Great Wyrms was felled, it called down the Ironheart comet to twist what remained of magic. Now, magical power is but a shadow of its former self, and the presence of star metal has corrupted the very fabric of magic, making magic use a dangerous, body-twisting power. Where once practitioners of magic lived openly and opulently, they are now treated like lepers - and it is not uncommon for them to share such an appearance, if not disguised by magic.
