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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Piratecat" data-source="post: 5467179" data-attributes="member: 2">This is great because we're effectively world-building at the same time that we're fleshing out the character's history. For example, my breadbasket of the empire is now named Grainburn.I have kept the age of the empire somewhat murky. I think I want to put Zacris active at the height of its expansionistic tendencies. For example, let's say that Capria was founded 1600 years ago. The first 300 years it was fairly self-contained, a light in the darkness, struggling to survive against the many foes - the state of most villages in the "normal" D&D world, really. Then 1300 years ago they started to expand. Warforged were invented and the civilization pushed outwards. The main expansionist thrust of the empire happened during a 1000 year period between 1600 - 600 years ago, "the thousand years of glory." At that point they had conquered most of the known world. Then 600 years ago there was a bad emperor, and the outlying areas of the empire crumbled. On the southern continent of Abbathia the dragonborn and tieflings began to war in their provinces,  Capria renounced its claim on the continent all together because more important rebellions were happening closer to home, and history was rewritten to make it look like Capria never wanted that continent in the first place. Nowadays the empire is in decline, pushing at a few holdout civilizations (mostly for show). The Pledgestones keep away monster anywhere they're placed, and the empire is nice and safe. *cough*Into this I slot the histories we're working up about Zacris. He was one of (say) three great inquisitors during the age of expansion. That lets him get to take part in many of the great campaigns, spanning centuries and multiple emperors. That makes his ruthlessness and tenacity really matter. That's just cool.Edit: I just realized that this is a great opportunity to share this information through the books in Zacris's tower. They haven't been touched in a millennia, which means that they don't have any newer maps or information, but all of the officially censored and excised knowledge is in there, too. I also just realized how big a deal it is that Zacris is in the Grey Guard. This is a little bit like Hannibal or Alexander the Great suddenly turning up in the Peace Corps; you can bet the organization is going to sit up and take notice. If I ever needed an excuse to turn the paragon tier heroes into movers and shakers, this is it. I suspect they'll be promoted and given permission to use Zacris's tower as their refuge until the Empire successfully claims it as property of the crown. With the emperor's death, that may be delayed...Next step: come up with a crapload of Emperor's names, and make the map. All stuff I should have done two years ago.</blockquote>

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