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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greenfield" data-source="post: 6013468" data-attributes="member: 6669384">Regarding the "global story":  Well, it's just kind of happening.  We share the DM's duties around the table, with each of us feeding on what others have laid out before us.  It don't think any one of us can take credit.Regarding "jealous":  No reason to be.  We're not doing anything that you can't do in your own game(s).  The rotating DM duty helps feed creativity in the story, as several creative minds are contributing, one after another.  At the same time, though, the quality of DMing is uneven at best.  We each have our strengths and weaknesses.Me, for example:  I'm a story teller but not that good at plotting or running a balanced combat.  I tend to have fewer encounters, and they tend to be soft pedaled a bit.  The guy we call Tinker, who runs the Barbarian/Wizard is better at planning battles, but tends to give away too much information before we get there.  The guy who plays our Ranger/Druid is an excellent tactician, and runs hard fought encounters, but tends to be light when it comes to laying out clues for us to follow.  He also tends to set up literally unsolvable challenges, situations where you just have to ride them through because the enemy has planned for every contingency.  The Blind Bard who runs the Half Dragon Fighter, is imaginative at creating monsters and other combat foes, but being blind he's not too good at handling battlefield layout or maneuvers.There are others, and each has their strong suits.  We've had some stinkers and we've had some stars, and you'll probably have the same if you choose round-robin style.Regarding a religious schism:  Not too likely.  The D&D world isn't one where religion is driven by holy fervor and/or pure faith.  The fact that gods can and do grant miraculous powers to their chosen followers makes that image a bad fit.  Further, while every Cleric out there knows that their deity is the best, they also have to deal with the reality that there are other deities out there who are just as real and just as valid.  The whole "One true god" mentality is unlikely to develop or gain any real following.  There's too much objectively verifiable evidence of other deity's existence. Besides, they didn't vanish away mysteriously.  They simply went about their business like anyone else might.  ... if "anyone else" didn't have the fate of this end of the Empire in their hands, that is. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />To give a general overview:  A Persian army is headed for Greece.  Neptune/Poseidon is battling Nudimmud (Assyrian/Proto-Persian sea deity), which is keeping the seas impassable for the Persian fleet.  The governor of Thebes (seat of the Roman governor of the province) has decided to keep news of the invasion from the people, and quietly exit the city.  Okay, as quietly as a wealthy man can move his entire household out of town, along with all of the other "important people" and as much of the accumulated wealth of the city as they can haul.   The governor's theory is that if they leave nothing worth looting, the Persians will leave the city alone and go home.  (Did I mention that the Governor is a fool?)The PCs find this being planned and need a way to stop it.  It will leave the city with no food and no defenders, and the Persians aren't here for a quick raid.  They're planning to invade and take over.One PC captures a Persian agent sabotaging the crops (Dispel Magic on any field that's had Plant Growth cast on it, to help weaken the region.)  He brings the guy in and, almost casually, mentions the invasion and the divine information he has.The Sargent of the guard hears this and decides to awaken the Captain of the guard, who after hearing it decides to awaken the city's Commander of the guard.  Priests are called, tests are made, and they decide that the Ranger/Druid has indeed heard directly from a deity.  They already know of the Governor's plan to "retire to his estates for the season" and realize that they're being used.Arrangements are made among the soldiers:  The Commander of the guard, citing the presence of Persian agents, declares a military emergency and seals the city.  Anyone entering or attempting to leave will be checked.  Nobody leaves without clearance.  He has the tacit approval of the head of several of the major houses' personal guard that they won't challenge the order, which leaves the Governor unable to leave.  He'll order his men to force their way through but the commanders of his personal guard will refuse to draw weapons against the City guard.And mean while, the PCs have gone off to find something very important:  Just how far out is the Persian Army.  But while they're doing that, they're out of town and out of touch.</blockquote>

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