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 Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:38 pm
Lil' note: I'm a world-builder, I love data and details. I like to envision what's down each street, and what that menacing door ahead is made of. Or, wether or not it's hinges can be destroyed. That's my style. So...that said, I'm about to throw a bunch of details out at you all, please do not panic, and don't try to memorize it all. I just like to be very...thorough in my settings.
I've not officially Dm'd before, but have tried a few simple times. However, the fact that this isn't live action and doesn't need me to have answer in 1 minute for the group at the table helps; It gives me time to check my books and notes carefully.
Thus, I am going ahead with this harebrained scheme, may the force be with this geek as he tries it. XD
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STORY
Welcome to our world, this place in which many generations have lived in peace, revering the gods and nature through which they are represented. Well, all except the Emperor of the Jin Shou empire, in the desert. He's killing it; the land itself is screaming. Worse still, his four creations of metal and gears march outwards proclaiming his will and enforcing it onto our land and homes; belching steam and fire.
Legions of soldiers are loosed upon his enemies-already he holds the center of the continent; ruling from his capital; the "divine" city built on a created lake, built by his subjects.
He calls it the will of heaven, I call it wicked magic. Heaven alone knows the truth, but I suspect he had made bargains with the Lower Demons for knowledge no mortal has ever known.
If you did not already know, he has advanced the sins of his father and grandfather before him; the 3rd in a line of destroyers. They create "wellsprings" that bleed dry the very chi that courses through the land; the life-force that makes the field green and the flower bright.
This I have watched with my own eyes; a death upon the land spreads and it screams in fury for it. Already, violent and unnatural storms rock the skies an fire bursts from the mountains. Nature and the balance of life has been....broken, thrown out of it's sacred rhythm. I hear of late tales of dark, wicked things rising, angry souls that cannot rest and defile corpses rising to take revenge. It is a dark time, and I pray to the celestial Dragons that saviors will come to help us. Ancient scrolls tell that when the land was young, each of the Dragons of heaven sired a line among mortals, to keep their will as time wandered ever on...we can only hope such beings exist. This Mad emperor, meanwhile, seeks evermore to find new ways to enslave the land and gain still more power. I shudder to think what he might do if not stopped-or what the dark forces created by his actions might do first. The Very Lower Demons themselves could arise again, with the land so weak.
help us, O divine ones. Send us our heroes....
-Lai lin, Sightless oracle of The Radiant Dawn temple.
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 9:20 pm
Game Mechanics
-This is a medieval China based setting; rather than the samurai-ninja one of Rokugan. This is more like "Rokugan Meets Ebberon".
-There is steampunk here, constructs and the like will show up. I may even throw warforged at you. You may have one...but realize that must are considered blasphemy by simply existing...unless something of nature, like a stone golem.
-if you plan on using a construct or living construct race, Please tell me.
-The dominant race is human, But other DND favorites exist as well. I'll allow all the base races for now:
>Elves favor the upper east area of the map, and sometimes lower east.
> Wood elves are common to, and hold several villages in, the Land of Dusk Timbers ["Duskwood"] as they call it. else where, they are harder to find. They are known for being experts on the ways to pass through forests, and are generally kind to travelers who they meet. When you travel in the Duskwood, meeting one isn't uncommon. they are skilled in woodcraft; many of the land's best bits of wood furniture and crafts come from them.
>Drow exist, but they lurk in the necropolis on the far island, and come and go by secret ways on dark missions.
>Halflings, like normal DnD, wander all over the place. They like to stop in any part other than the middle of the continent.
>Gnomes-strange things, they mostly hail from the crescent shaped isle in the lower left, Tao Xu. While not unheard of, they are a bit...odd, to most.
>Dwarves can be found in the colder region of the top right; in Ri Pan, the Great Pinewood.
>Qi Spirits( ku-wi Spirits) live on the island of Lao Lan Vo; in just south of the Outlands. [Hengeyokai] They are respected by the Outlands and more or less greeted in most places as being close to nature, but the Jin Shou Empire hates them, calling them "savages" and will enslave them the first chance they get, seeing them as more nature that is "given to them by heaven, to use and grow by". Qi Spirits are often called on by villages seeking aid with a problem with nature; as the shape-shifting folk are viewed to be connected to animals or weather more than most, this is their common role.
> Constructs can almost always be counted on to be a creation of the land-killing empire, which delights in gears and steam technology.
>Teiflings, descendants of a ancient ruling kingdom that conquered the land by making a pact with Lower Demons, can be found in hidden cities not found on most maps. they are feared by most as evil spirits, but one proving it's noble intentions by deed and acts is often hailed as a sign of good luck; for the serpent of evil bites it's own tail when a Teifling combats evil.
>They aren't really asimar here, because I've made all the deities Dragons. Instead, Dragon half-races take their place as being semi-divine, but are also more race.
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>western elements like liches, vampires[normal type] and so forth may appear in a new, revamped form to add to this unique setting and feel.
> Other lands. Despite the occasional deranged sailor, most dare not sail beyond the outer islands in the Sea of Glass or Ocean of whispers; as a timeless fog circles about beyond there in all directions, and strange lights warn any boat that sails near to turn back. It is generally considered that the Will of Heaven is that no one try to breach this barrier.
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Weapons and armor: use your judgement; this is chinese themed. You are unlikely to find a pistol, holy avenger, or paladin armor. Basically, use Rokugan equipment from Oriental adventures, with the following notes:
-the following weapons and armor are fine, regardless. Most are common in this land.
>chakram
>spiked chain
>Katar
>punching dagger
> Lajatang [both types]
>scythes
>Bows of all types[geared bows, however, usually are found within the empire and it's infernal metalworks.]
>Spears
>Hammers, big and ornate.
>daggers.
>Staffs.
Rather than a katana, the common weapon in a chinese setting is a Jian. I'll let this one in even though it's a homebrew because of that. It's basically your standard swordsman's weapon if they would have a katana otherwise.
>Rhinohide, leather scale, and bone armor are seen often in the outlands and the western areas, imperials wear chinese-styled Great armor if they are high ranked or rich enough.
PM me for any questions, as I'm leaving this kinda hazy. A good back story on where the weapon came from might convince me to allow it. A ancient relic passed down the family or found in a cave might work, for example. But just :"oh, I have this random Greatsword..." I dunno.... same for armor.
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mostly, I'll allow stuff in Oriental adventures, in terms of skills. Feats, go ahead and use any book and if I have a problem I'll tell you. This all also works for classes: you may find a artificer here, or a Wu jen....even a druid may show up. But they would have different names and roles in society. I may even allow paladin, but again, it would be heavily modified cosmetically.
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THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. Anyone joining helps me build it by giving me stuff to work with. If you really want a water elf character, ask me and I'll dream up a way to work them in. I'm reasonable.
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This is a level 4 campaign. Starting location, party alignment, and exact story will be chosen by vote. I have several choices to create...
...And you get either 5,400 G to start with, or the Magic Item compendium's number, which ever is higher. If you are a few coins shy of that awesome item you wanted, make a really convincing backstory reason for it and I may fudge you the coins or say you got the weapon at a discount or something.
PS-you get starting Gold for 1rst level character as well, which is a extra 100-something Gp to play with, and may help when you need just a bit more...^.^
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 9:36 pm
NAMES and words
Urgoth the mighty may work in normal DnD settings, but it would be odd here. Umazuki is also unlikely.
to name a character, Use a pseudo-chinese mix of your own making....
well, here. I Chinese? Where do I get a image for that?: Try Devianart , it's what I did. Searches like "chinese armor, chinese emperor, chinese witch", ect...work well. Names? Sho, I don't know Chinese! : Of course not. I don't expect you too. I myself know a bit of rusty mandarin, But I'm going to ad lib mostly. Just name stuff in single syllables-chinese words are only one-like this "Sun Yin". For Character names and general inspiration, you have a few choices. A. make up a english name, as a title : IE, Leaping Tiger, Silent Mountain, Rising Phoenix, Four Rivers, Swift Breezes... B. Use This, and just feed it random data. C. Both-a Title and Chinese name, like " Furious Yuan", or "Strong Ming Dai". the title generally is something about the character, so a charmer of girl may be "Dancing Heavens Mai"..and so on. Last, General resource. this is a big, fancy online dictionary and translator. If you just wanna literally translate something or just need some words to work with, use this. And, if you perchance speak it, feel free to use it properly. ninja
that should cover it. it also works on towns, places, lakes, ect. Warforged and such are still named after weapons and functions, though.
Races:
while I will use normal names; when speaking, a NPC may use a in-game name for a race. Here they are:
Humans: Rin Toh
Elves: Tian Rin [tea-an rin]
Wood elves: Bo Rin [Bow rin]
Dwarves: Maker, Builder, Metal-shaper...named by their craft, so it varies form place to place.
Drow: Voh Sai
halflings: Wind-wanderers
Gnomes: Xhuu [she-oo], Mischief Spirit.
Teiflings: A Shadowed One, A Misted Soul, Darkling.
T'kel: Lhii
Deathtouched: BoneChild, Se[su-uh] Ren Shou, Se[su-uh] Ren.
Half-Orcs: Ban Xiong Tai, Leatherskin [derogatory]
Hengeyokai: Qi [t'chee] spirits.
Orcs: Xiong Tai
Dragon-related races: whatever they are normally, but with -Su added to their title; being a honorific for dragons; Like -sama in japanese. IE, a human half-dragon would be a Rin To-Su.
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:10 am
Religion
behold: conversions. Alignments stay the same, and domains do too.
[Bocobb]
Xhei Zen (she-aye zen)
A great dragon of the stars, Xhei zen is renowned for guarding distant secrets until mortal are ready to use them. Called the cold star of wisdom, he also represents good judgement. His common form is that of great, blue-scaled dragon whose hide is the shifting darkness of a starry night sky. His symbol is a scroll sealed with a golden star emblem.
Favored weapon: Quarterstaff
[corellon lethian]
Tsu Na Ri
A proud Celestial Dragon of molten silver, Tsu Na Ri represents grace, power, and control and is credited with creating the elves from his own liquid body, thus passing his power and skill down to them as well. When seen by his mortal worshippers, he appears as a long, coiling dragon made of molten silver and wreathed in clouds blue fire, with brilliant violet eyes. Favored weapon: Jian
His front right leg is frozen as cracked black stone, however, in a battle with his ancient rival Zu Tan. Tsu Na Ri slew the wicked Dragon and cursed him to his current form as a Lower Demon; but not before having his own body damaged with a dark spell that turned it to stone-Tsu Na rin overcame it with his sheer will to remain in existence, but his leg has stayed frozen even after beating the curse. His symbol is a drop of silver splattered on a band of blue cloth, wrapped around a weapon's hilt.
[Ehlonna]
Wu Xing (woo she-ing)
A kindly nature spirit, she has been spotted often now, often weeping. Unlike most dragons, she has a human form as well as her divine manifestation. Her draconic form is a serpent dragon with a hide of gleaming emerald and brown fresh bark; and mane of leaves and vines. Her eyes glow as the sun, and a girl in white and green peasant's clothes always attends her. It is this girl that often speaks to her worshippers, and is known to show up namelessly to help those in dire need before vanishing into the fog. She watches over halflings, half-elves, and gnomes.
Due to the land being destroyed, she is almost always grieving for it now, and those who ease it's pain-and thus hers-often are rewarded for it.
Her symbol is a tiny scroll bearing the symbol for wood in green ink, wrapped about two twigs at the ends. She favors the Longbow as her weapon.
[fharlanghn]
Feng su [fahng-soo]
The great wandering Wind, this Dragon of heaven comes as a trace of cloud, wind, and shadow. He is a typical dragon, long and serpentine, but he flickers in and out and his body is made of clouds, whirling around inside a invisible shell of a body. Patron of travellers, a lost being who seeks his guidance is often signaled by a sudden gust of wind which way to go. All those who travel often seek him, and he will accept most of them. He seems to ignore the worship of those who travel to war, however. His sign is a arrow, fletched with a hawk feather-as many a time, wind tugging on this tells a lost man where to go.
He favors the Quarterstaff.
[Erythnull]
Wei Da
A wicked and evil dragon, Wei Da's body long ago was eaten away by the force of his own black fury, and his darkness fell into the earth and infused it, adding chaos to the world. He is a Lower demon now, and worshipped by the wicked. He favors those who destroy mindlessly, seeing everything as a annoyance to be silenced; save those who follow him in that exact mindset. He is said to like the smell of blood, and has been sighted near fresh battlefields. while bound below the earth as a Lower Demon, His phantasmal projection is that of a half-dragon skeleton covered in green fire and wearing tattered armor. His favored weapon, a spiked chain of hellish design, hangs from his claws. A black cloak with the character for war blows from his body, the symbol written in blood. His sign is a chain link, broken and held to a charred bone by a rag.
[Garl Glittergold]
Zan Zan Gai
The trickery dragon, he is divine, but his role is that of celestial prankster. He lies often, but in the form of riddles that yield the truth if solved-this is because he values a fast mind and clever curiosity. he appears as twin dragons, much smaller than his huge kin, a red and blue pair that chase each other about and never are still. Each trails the opposite's color in fire as they move, but are otherwise normal in appearance, with flesh and bone. His favored weapon is a Axe, and his manifestations often carry silver hatchets in their mouths, tossing them up and catching them with their tails when talking. He watches over gnomes, and of course is said to have made them as yet another prank. Having outwitted the evil dragon Bei Ya, he made a enemy of this lower Demon went he tricked the thick-witted dark dragon into banishing himself into the earth.
[Gruumsh]
Zu Tan
A sour and grumpy Lower demon, this was once a powerful Dragon who created weapons for Humans in the Beginning Times. Unfortunately, he found that his weapons were never used enough for their great skill in creation, and created war when he stirred the mortals to fight each other for them. Tsu Na Ri warned him to stop, but he ignored this and meddled even more to create still more bloodlust. Humans became deformed by his power, and morphed into orcs which blindly destroyed; using his razor-sharp weapons over and over...Tsu Na ri, in fury at Zu Tan for this, accused him of breaking the Divine Will and fought him to the death, even overcoming a curse from Zu Tan to defeat him. To this day, Zu Tan vows that he will rebuild his armies of Orc from below and make the most destructive weapon ever from Tsu Na Ri's liquid silver body-while he is still alive. He favors The war hammer, and manifests as balls of phantom flame floating around a black, ghostly hammer that pulses as he speaks. His symbol Is a fragment of a sword, shaped like a dragon's fang and coated in dry blood. The remaining orcs worship him whenever they can.
[Heironeus]
Xan Yu [she-an yoo]
A noble Dragon of Heaven, Xan Yu suffers constantly from his greatest sacrifice: a twin to the wicked dragon Xaa Rhan Yi, he couldn't bear to let his sibling be cursed to become a Lower Demon, so he sealed the wickedness of his sibling into himself, rather than let his twin fall. Persistent and headstrong in his passion, he advocates combat and fighting for justice and values, believing that no fight is ever over until the last breath leaves a hero's lungs. The Split Will and Wild Honor are his titles, and he takes worship from those who seek a just and fair fight, and who challenge in the name of honor and good. His symbol is a Yin-yang mark of two dragons, black and white. he manifests as a white dragon in fine armor, but red, burning cracks riddle his body as his twin blindly struggles to get out and wreak more havok. His favored weapon is A Jian.
[Hextor]
Xaa Ran Yi [she-aa ran yee]
A wicked Dragon that did not fall because of his twin's actions, he is known as the Poisoned One, and the Ravage Within. Witnessing Zu Tan's dark creation of war, Xaa Ran Yi was amused, and created poison when he sought to test the limits of a mortal being. Known to torture innocents just for his own curiosity about mortality, He became rotted out with his own poisons for this and was sealed by his brother. He is perhaps the greatest threat, for if he ever escapes his imprisonment inside his twin, he is still a Dragon while all the force of darkness had taken hold in him. Even held within his brother, he comes to kings and emperors in their dreams, overing them power. He was thought to be involved in the current Emperor's blasphemy, but thus far no sign of him can be found. He loves war and suffering, seeing it as amusement to watch life twitch and die, and from death he created vile poisons the likes of which may still exist, and such relics could kill a entire nation in a single use. His dream-form is a dark cloud that whispers of war and power, and a young noble walks about in it, with white hair and read eyes, offering a sword dripping with poison while showing images of the person's greatest foe in his dark fog. His favored weapon is the katar [punching dagger] and his sign is a poisoned weapon, it's hilt wrapped in a black rag stained with blood.
[Kord]
Kai Fan
The Guardian, The immortal watcher, Kai Fan is a divine dragon of brass and bronze, his tail set with ring that hold several keys; and his claws are spear points. Kai Fan is the one tasked with keeping watch on the Lower Demons, and he does so with dedication. He has enough time, however, to favor humans who also guard things with their might; even if they they break a few rules to do so. he himself has been known in history to break promises and duties...but for the greater good. His favored weapon is a Spear, just as his claws are sharp like this weapon's points. His sign is a lantern, held to a reach weapon to light up matter and symbolize watchfulness.
[Moradin]
Mu Wai
The Master Craft-mistress, The Living metal, Mu Wai is female, yet for a female dragon, she is most odd: she is aggressive, hot-headed and brilliant at the forge...in short, she loves to teach mortals and other dragons a lesson when it's begged for, and loves a good fight as much as a calm day. It is said she can produce a thousand weapons from her forge in the sky in a single day. However, it is said she grew bored and created dwarves on her forge to give herself sparring partners. Even now, Dwarves claim and battle-maiden in full armor shows up on still nights, challenging all she meets to a fight and rewarding victors. This is assumed to be her form-a unknown Battle-maiden in full, fine armor with masterwork weapons; all of which bearing a dragon motif. Also noted is a cascade of red hair behind her when she fights. She fights fair, however, and cheating angers her-those who cheat do not always return from a fight with her-otherwise even losers are thanked for the practice and at least offered a drink from a canteen she carries. Her Favored weapon is the war hammer, and A metal scale with a lock of red hair tied to it is her sign. Dwarf females are often very feisty and headstrong as the males due to her.
[Nerrull]
Yai Zhe [ya-eye ja-heh]
The Reaper, the Hunger..A monster even in the Lower Demons, Yai Zhe is death...literally. he as dragon absorbed so much death from mortal wars that his body burned away, leaving a dragon's metal armor floating over a eerie hellish flame shaped like a dragon, with red point of light for the eyes. He fell with no protest, laughing as his evil was swallowed into the earth. He is utterly mad by most, and his Phantom projection is a evil-looking warrior armed with black Chakram with saw-blade edges. The face is masked by a screaming metal face place, it's fanged mouth forever set in a war cry. Yai Zhe is death, and welcomes it, believing it to be true divinity: even the divine dragons will die by his reasoning...death being the only constant. He welcomes all who serve death and seek control of it-unlike most, he care snot to be worshipped but more if his servant serves death itself. This Lower Demon's vile sign is a shard of bone, impaled by a black metal spike and wrapped in a filthy bit of cloth. His favored weapon is the Chakram.
[Obad-hai]
Mei Hi
Mei Hi is often mocked for his femmenine name, but who do so find themselves cursed by crop-eating insects or poor soil for a year. Dragon of nature and earth, he cares for Natures as Wu Xing, and is known to shelter those who respect the forest. He is more direct than she, however, in that he only cares for the trees and green things-if a wicked being shows constant reverence for his forests, he will protect them even despite their evil. His form is that of dragon, made of fused tree trunks; or a dragon's face showing up on a living tree. His symbol is a tiny bonsai pine, small enough to be carried. Large ones work as well; calling upon him next to one evidently envokes his power just as good, though it must be touched to do so. He favors the Lajatang and it's variants.
[Olidamarra]
Tzu Pei
The Laughing one, This Dragon appears as a Dragon with hide of paintings and fine art, his claws are jade and ribbons of silk trail from him, and masks hang from his shoulders. A simple of lucky chance and happy fate, he loves jokes almost as much as Zan Zan Gai, And is known to drop random things into the mortal world while in flight; be it a shower of gold or a flock of chickens, or any one of several items. He shows often at events of prominence in the sky, and it is said sighting him is the best omen for the starting of anything. He also is known to make fun of those he dislikes, and poor mortal rulers are targets of his pranks as much as his fellow Dragons. He favor Katar as his weapon of choice, and his sign is a festival mask of dragon, or a fine painting of him. This who live by fate often seek him and are given strange luck for their worship: even a down and out painter may be suddenly inspired by him. He really favors rouges, however, as their thefts and feats of skill amuse him greatly: sometimes when a Rouge does something really impressive, laughing can be heard like distant thunder.
[Pelor]
Ri Wan
Ri wan is the most serious of The Celestial Dragons, and is always going over tactics to keep the Lower demons held, and it was he who first foresaw the Great Fall with created the Lower demons as Good dragons became evil. Dragon of life and light, he is said to have made the sun to allow people to see their enemies coming and be ready. His training and wisdom make his power feared by Undead and monsters drawing on energy from the Lower Demons; but even he realizes that some undead rise not out of anger, but out of need for peace or justice. When a undead arises because of a evil done to it, He really will intervene against it. He leaves his priests with "All will come to light...always."; And has never been seen firsthand: only as a dragon's shadow, flying across the sun as voice speaks in the mind of his followers. Interestingly, he favors the Scythe, the saying being he cleaves his foes as a scythe harvests the field.
[St. Cuthburt]
Reng Lai
Reng lai Appears as a gray dragon in full armor, with damage covering it but never actually injuring him. A orange mane runs down his back., and unlike other Dragons' forms, he carries twin spears in his manifestation. He advocates vengence and being paid back in full-it is said he was peaceful at one time, before fighting the Wicked Dragon Shou Hai, in which he was injured badly...but rose in fury to tear his foe apart and cast them down. since then, no foe has even touched him. His passion is such that he cares not for good and evil, only for being avenged. As soon as the balance is paid, he may release his support, or help the enemy if they are unjustly punished. His justice is strange, and some people doubt him-but those seeking revenge always have his aid.
His Symbol is broken dagger, wrapped with red cord on it's hilt. He favors the spear.
[vecna]
Shou Hai
Shou Hai coveted knowledge above all, and helped create the world only to learn it's secrets and keep them for himself. Yet, he then would tempt humans with it and give them more knowledge than they could handle; often corrupting them. It was he who led to the Drow coming into existance, corrupting them into worshipping a creation of his. Annoyingly, it later became a Dark Goddess by their worship, something his experiment hadn't counted on. His ruthless search for knowledge and misuse of it got him Cursed to be a Lower demon by
Reng Lai, who rose from his peaceful ways when Shou hai trampled across his plains and feilds, and drove the Dragon to fury over the disrespect. He almost killed Reng Lai, but the Dragon's fury was far more than any knowledge could handle. Shou Hai hates Reng Lai for this, and has been known to temp his used-up followers with further "revenge"-the power to wipe their enemies very bloodlines out. Shou Hai favors evil spellcasters for their "Devotion" to knowledge, and so grants them his might. He appears as a black and burned scroll, most often whenever a mage or being needs knowledge about something. It whispers of the answer, then opens up on it's own and writes the desired solution in blood, offering it. If refused, the scroll sprouts teeth and tries to bite the person-it is quickly destroyed however.
His sign is a Black, laquered box with a red piece of paper inside, marked with the symbol for "knowledge". he favors the Quarterstaff.
[Wee Jas]
Yuu Wai
Yuu wai; the Great Abandonment. While Not a Fallen dragon, She refuses to join the other in heaven and hides alone in the cosmos, scorned and always plotting now trickery. It is said she loved one of her follow Dragons but was ignored, and then injured in battle during the Fall; she vwas conviced that it was he lost love's fualt. She was, and it, very wise, but only now gives her knowledge to those with a taste of trickery and death, for only those can teach a mortal enough to safely use her knowledge; or so she believes. She appears as a Dragon made of Carved jade and glossy dark wood, her eyes burn with a dark light and she carries a Paper tailisman in her left claw. She has only ever come to her followers at night, and leaves if another Divine Dragon comes.
Her weapon is the Chakram, and her sign is a silver coin, branded with cracked engraving of the symbol for "heart" on one side, and the symbol for "magic" on the other.
[Yondalla]
Jui Sha
The Protector Dragon of the Halflings, Jui is kind and loves to talk, as will is curious about whatever is over the horizon at any given moment. She is said to have made the halflings as they are so they could pass into smaller spaces and see all there was in their wanderings, and given her something to talk about. She appears as a cloaked halfling female with a dragon's shadow, and loves to visit Halfling campsites in the evening an swap stories, often leaving behind a gift of she find the stories to be good ones. Her sign is a Cloak or piece of protective clothing woven with yellow thread and green cloth, and dash of blue on it some place. She favors the Longbow as her weapon.
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:22 am
MORE notes
-Note, there is a difference between celestial dragons and Normal material plane ones; they are not divine. They are, however, respected in one way or another; and evil dragons may not be attack on sight; unless they prove to be evil. There's No Tiamat or Bahamut here; Each dragon leans towards one of it's celestial forebears.
-jade is valuable here, and green mountains on the map are rich in Jade, and thus very special places. They have mines, but are also respected....
-The Great Fall is a event that happened 2000 years ago, the world being just under 3K old. The dragons were all good at first, but as stated in tehir entries, some became evil, and got kicked out of heaven in a divine civil war, and their dark energy good absorbed into the earth. There is no abyss here, just the Nine Hells and the Various fallen Dragons that have become Lower demons. Just to Note, A Lower Demon is a evil god here. their actual bodies may be buried on the surface someplace, though....
-Nature and animal are respected; this is "the old ways". Most religious folk will get mad if you burn down a forest or slaughter a herd of deer for no reason. And many are religious. This is why The Empire is so hated; most who hold to the old ways claim it's a abomination, and that feeding off the very life of the land blackens the fields, kills the wildlife, and weakens the forces holding the Lower Demons in check. If The land dies, then they may very well rise from the earth to wreak havok once more....
-Boats are common, as are ports, but most sail on local trips, traders and ferry ships connecting the islands. The outer islands are harder to reach, however, and the necropolis is avoided: many captains laugh off requests to go there with a line about death wishes.
-other ways of travel: Horses are common, as are their close cousins. The empire, though...has some dangerous, fire-belching monsters that leak steam and slither about on set paths, armored serpents, and a few dragonflies of paper and metal have been spotted whirling haphazardly about the capital...most crash quickly though. Most of these metal monstertrosities are hated by many, and the Empire keeps tight control of it's geared nighmares; not that anyone would want to steal them, but....
-lucky Animals: Second only to dragons, These animals are considered great fortune to witness and are touted as being signs of the Divine Dragons Of heaven.
-The white Tiger, symbol of skill and grace. These mighty beasts are even more than their normal orange-furred cousins.
-The Raven, as The symbol of trickster's luck and a gambler's fortune; especialy on a full moon night.
-The Moon-Wing Butterfly. A strange insect with glowing wings; it flies about in the dark, dancing about the moon. It brings peace and calm in times of grief, and to see one after a death is good-it means the soul has found piece with Heaven and transcended to be reborn.
-The Dragonfly. Symbol of quick wit and action, this river-dwelling insect is often marked on swords [aside from a dragon symbol] for haste.
-The mantis. A patient hunter, many generals have claimed to have studied "under the mantis" . It stands for strategy and victory in battle.
-The lion. Exceedingly rare, it prowls distant plains and shakes the earth with it's roar; to even hear one is a sign that courage and boldness are with you, even if you do not know it.
-The Bear-it rules some forests and holds sway on some slopes, a mighty defender. It stands for protection of your goals and those you hold dear, if you make a sacrifice for you friends/family and have seen this animal, it is said that your sacrifice will be repaid tenfold.
-The Crane. The last of the sacred animals, the crane represents spirit-spotting one is a sign in favor of inner spirit and the will to win.
Children born when one is sighted are claimed to hold the traits connected to such. Most of all, if dragon is seen, it is a wonderful sign beyond that. A celestial Dragon sighting at a birth is nothing short of a miracle, and means that the child born has a great destiny in their life.
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:23 am
MAP!
Brown is a path[a usable travel route], and each house-mark is a city, village, or town. The empire stops currently at the western Mt. range border on the frosty region of Zhen Wu, and at the next to the waterfall in the eastern range. Mts with cloud rings are sacred, mighty peaks that tower above the normal ones and often have temples and monks all about them, to hold their secrets.
The one in Zhen Wu is extremely sacred: it is rich in jade; so that it's slopes sparkle green in the dawn.
Towns in the empire with glowing orbs over them are known to host wellsprings that suck Chi energy right from the land for the empire's use. The lake the emperor has his capital on is artificial, the rivers to it dug by hand.
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:12 pm
PLAYER CHOICE
Okay, time to vote, folks! Please post your ideas so I can choose what to do.
----------------------------------
>Plotlines<
[Not all of these are game-spanning, I may use more than one if we live that long.]
-Empire plot: Outlands and the old ways versus the metal monsters of the Jin Shou. Destiny calls!
-The Undead and bent nature: terrible storms and lurking horrors; several strange things have been happening in the wilds as of late. Evil is whispered on the wind...
-The cult! : Dragons be with you; a rumor says that dark times are ahead, and hidden force makes play for something dark and dangerous buried in the earth, now visible thanks to the Empire's drain.
-Death to The primitives! : a plot-line starring the imperial guard/ Imperials in general-the PCs work with the empire for some reason, or are part of it. how will they deal with the conflict and the order they are given: to expand the empire at all costs, and deal death and enslavement to tree-hugging "heretics"?
-Beyond the Dawn: all this disruption has made rivers run dry and unearthed things meant to stay buried. A strange force begs you in your dreams to help.
Choose one! And I shall built it. these are all still just concepts until chosen.
-----------------------------------------------
>Party dynamics<
details to add so we don't get a necromancer in the party with a druid and a "paladin".
-party alignment parameters?
- Same village starting place, or shall you hail from varied locations. You may "start" at your hometown, and I shall bring you all together with the opening hook.
-any "party race" details? IE, no constructs, all constructs, no dwarves, ect...? Now's the time to choose.
These are all up for deciding now, so we don't argue later. Post away about them! 3nodding
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:29 pm
wow... awesome detail
id like to join ^_^
and i like Empire plot, and Death to The primitives
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:32 pm
oh also, id prefer somthing evil, so i could be my favorite chaotic evil rouge ^_^
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:43 pm
I prefer the Empire Plot, I have a good idea for a ninja.
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:53 pm
the undead and bent nature
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:08 pm
so!
[2] Empire
[1] Death to the primitives!
[1] Undead and bent nature.
and yes, Buttersboy, you may join...Though if you could use a period and capitalize "I" now and then I'd be very happy; you wouldn't speak like that if you were at a table with us, right? At least, in game. Justa' tip.
3nodding
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:22 pm
I haven't read though everything yet, but out of the story lines.
Plots in the order that I like them and the reason's why.
Beyond the Dawn: Find the reason behind the dreams or go insane. Plus it sounds like the easiest one to draw everyone together
The Undead and bent nature: I hate the undead...With there skin falling off and one eye hanging from the socket, oh and don't for get the smell... the smell*shivers* Okay now I am ready to go kick some zombie butt
Empire plot: MORTAL KOMBAT!!!! Ok maybe not, but it does sound like a lot of fighting.
The cult! :This and the Empire one are on the same level for me, but for different reasons. This one has a ring of playing the hero and heroes get everything. If they are powerful enough even the thrown
Death to The primitives! :This one just reminds me of being a storm trooper. I never liked the storm troopers in Star wars, Slaves to the emperor, no free time, and no skill in marksmenship.
>Party dynamics<
details to add so we don't get a necromancer in the party with a druid and a "paladin".
-party alignment parameters? I would like things to be in the good side, because I like playing the hero. But I can except anything
- Same village starting place, or shall you hail from varied locations. You may "start" at your hometown, and I shall bring you all together with the opening hook.: This doesn't matter to me being you said you can bring us all together any way.
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:31 pm
Awww, but capitalizing I is annoying... I keep reasonable grammar most of the time. plus how do you let people know if your capitalizing "i" while sitting at a table. "oh yeah well capitalized I make a make a bluff check to trick this guard" no... no you don't really do that.
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:04 pm
No, but you don't speak in "I can has cheezburger" mode, either, right? biggrin
Ne, just a idea, I don't wanna single you out. It's just that since text here controls what we see in our minds, better writing makes the mental image more impressive, and the game better. Like graphics on a Video game. Sorry if I hacked you off. neutral
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