A new game in the wings, finally.

Cthulhu_Wakes

Cthulhu_Wakes

Black Sun in a White World
After my posts about trying to figure out a new game and what not, I believe everything is coming together finally. I have decided the region of Creation (the area of the Empty City) and am starting to build my plot around my small epic. Currently, Mr. Still is building my map and being able to put up with my few nitpickings every now and then ^^; The map looks fabulous and I'm still trying to find a group up here (near Knoxville/Morristown hint hint) to join and eventually run for, so hopefully I can fine tune the campaign to perfection while I'm here.


So I guess I'm asking for help in thinking things out from the minds of all our maddened ST's. ^_^ I know this is like Still's but damn it! It was a good idea! Anyhow, if Still would be so kind as to possibly post the map so I could help lay things out for everyone before I unravvel a few bits of plot to help people brainstorm with me? I have a good general outline of what the plot will be and all that, but the visual aid would be most welcome x.x
 
I'll try to finish things up tonight, then I'll post it.


-S
 
Here's what I have so far. Let me know if you need any changes:


marukan6.jpg



(click to see full sized)


-S
 
I've officially titled this game: Rise of the Legion.


The setting is in the Scavenger Lands, inside the plains of the Marukan/Mishaka territory, prime real estate for scavenging up all sorts of First Age weapons and artifacts left over from the First Age and the Realm invasions. The area is a hot topic for the Confederation of Rivers, many an "international incident" occurs here wtih various nations hiring out groups of diggers and archaeologists to dig up what they can for trade or their own personal use. Also for the very fact that across the Grey River lie the Empty City, one of the most famous sites in the area for it's pristine First Age city, unreachable to any man or Exalt.


The two major nations are Vinland and The Twelve Duns, defensive alliances set up since the old days of the third Realm invasion. The more militant of the two, Vinland has always been the odd man out in the council meetings of the Confederation, seeing it's more violent approach to their own inner political problems. The nation is the Scavenger Lands own Harborhead, rife with ethnic and tribal strife. Violence is the word of the day in this region, the site of many of the civil wars that tie up Confederate resources. The most recent being the brutal coup of one of the smaller tribes, the Averni, and their take over of the region in RY 780.


The Averni quickly scotched any resistance and took over the nation handily, imposing a sort of dictatorship that was no better than the one that had been in place before. A brief war with the Realm left the nation reeling of it's bare margin victory. The leaders and generals of the nation had been shoring up defenses for over five years, fighting off skirmishes with the Realm backed Thorns and Realm commando raids for until the Empress' disappearance. With the eventual fall of Thorns the people of Vinland settled back into their old ways of tribal violence and greedy dealings with the Guild in the traffic of slaves, artifacts from their own digs across the River and mercenary work with Lookshy.


While the status quo of internal strife and bloodshed went on, the entirety of Vinland went on alert with the newest arrival and threat to the safety of the River Province, Juggernaut, and its master, The Mask of Winters. So began the slow process of the leading council of Vinland realizing the threat of the Deathlord and to their own lands. Over the course of three years, negotiations have been in process, for the tribes to come under a shaky peace and unite for the first time since the Realm incursions, to fight against the Deathlord.


Their neighbors across the mountains, the Twelve Duns, is a alliance of city states and towns that have fallen under the banner of mutual trade and aid in times of strife. A commercial and military power coming forth out of the alarm set by their violent neighbors to the south. Few skirmishes or even wars have been fought between the two collectives of people, but there is still the fear of the people of Vinland and of the dead who march from the black gates of Thorns.


These are just brief histories on the nations involved so far, what do you guys think? I'll extrapolate on the Duns at a later time when I can get all my info together ^^;
 
Not to be totally flippant or anything, but "Bouganville" is terribly similar to "Bougainville", which, depending on the general literacy/general knowledge of your group, might get snickers due to its isomoprhism with an important island/city in the South Pacific.


But then, maybe it's just my group that's endowed with a plague of anthropology students.
 
dunno why that avatar's been apparently selected for me, by the way.


In any event, you say Vinland's finally woken up to the threat of the Juggernaut and it's master, and the need for some kind of coordination between its disparate political units. Does this mean that some kind of central political authority has been established at this point, or is the tense and delicate process of political negotiation and coalition building still going on?


If its the former instance, obviously any Circle/brotherhood/grouping/random Sidereal task force is going to have to deal with the fact that suddenly a bunch of tribes are united under one central ruler (which is a potentially serious situation for all of Vinland's neighbors; re: the Visigoths post the unification under Alaric). If it's the later instance, it sounds like any group of player characters with any aspiring politicos in the area is going to try to make sure that their particular group gets to be said central rulers.


Just a thought.
 
First, yes, yes I know it was a South Pacific Island x.x, I was just hard pressed for names, LoL. Anywho, I plan on the coalition to be a key point with my players if they wish to get in on it and possibly skew the new political entity their way. Possibly though, the competition will be fierce and Exalts really underestimate the mortal man sometimes, at least my old PCs did.


A lot of the action will be coming from that and the tension between the Vinlanders and the people of the Duns, going up in arms, over this apparent reorginization.


I also have plans for the characters to learn the value of the "scrap" trade. Old trinkets and artifacts scrounged and salvaged off ruins and plains out in the fields of grass near the Empty City, the country of Melekin. The Empty City will be a heavy focus point later in the game, I had an idea that mixed with the city when I read about Marama's Fell in the Bastions book.
 
It sounds like a backdrop with a lot of plot potential, but do you have a specific plot in mind?


-S
 
Seiraryu said:
Nice job on the map, Still.  May have to get you to do one of mine at some point.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'm not 100% satisfied with it, but I think it's loads prettier than my first one.


-S
 
With the setting being in this land of now political upheavel in the face of an overwhelming threat not a hundred leagues from them, I forsee the entire region spilling into what the U.S. and Russia did after the Cold War, an arms race, remember now, the Twelve Duns is the more peace oriented of the two nations, but has the stronger (by far) economic base with Guild, local and river trade. Plus a little dabbling with the Realm at Lila's Gate, the only Realm influence in the area, a tiny garrison of one talon, protecting a lucrative dig site and the First Age bridge that spans the Grey River.


With the arms race JUST kicking off, the Averni and Vinland have a slight upper hand with the weapons now in use, but most of it's "army" is a rag tag group of milita gathered from the tribes and various towns. A professional army this does not make. While the Duns are equppied and well trained, with a smaller but altogether far more effective army, though a quarter of their troops are doled out to the Confederation's need every year.


The Averni are looking for any edge they can get on defending against the Duns and the Mask. In about six months or so in game, they will be approached with heralds and good tidings from a sympathetic ruler from beyond the river, he comes bearing gifts for his new friends: Himself and a large wagon train of curious design. The gentleman is a soft spoken, yet dashing figure who inspires and awes all he meets in the Council of Chiefs held in Puyo. He is a tactician and offers to train their men without pay or pension, he does this in the hopes they will join his master at large.


Deus, the gentleman calls himself, reveals himself to be an servant of the Lord of Denandsor, the Council is further bemused by all of this, yet agrees. In the coming weeks and months, skirmishes break out between the Duns and several unknown entites, wagon trains attacked at night, outlying farming communites sacked, major production centers in Rhodes and Varsi hit. Reports vary as to who did the attacks and how, but many fingers are pointed at Vinland, and so the Cold War begins to heat up with veiled threats and showing of arms.


I plan on leading the PCs around the nations for those first six months before Deus shows himself, just to give them he feel and lay of the land, a few stories not tied to the plot, and then getting into this. I have more details in my next post coming up in a little while to give a few more details on what's going on in the Empty City area at the time and the Realm garrison, but so far, what do you all think?
 
On top of this whole backdrop and what I can forsee happening, I want some input on what could possibly happen when these events take place. Any ideas? I can see if the Averni start using these "gifts" from Deus, it can get some eyes turning their way, Lookshy, the Realm, the Guild, the Confederation, possibly Heaven if something striking happens in the local spirit courts, especially since the spirits worshipped by the Averni tribe grow in power.


Reports coming from the survivors or witnesses to the attacks report bras soldiers and constructs striking out in rapid fire formations, attacking from large roving...wagons, is the best description. Deploying, ravaging and vanishing back into the night as quickly as they came.


After these trickle along the grapevine, a small contingent of Lookshy troops will move into the area under the pretense of traders or a roving band of hunters and begin investigating and that's where I am so far, any other ideas?


Possible intervention by the dead? Please, I could really use some help.
 
That is most of what I have planned out for the first little while for my players and I was wondering what kind of input could I possibly get from anyone? Clausewitz and Jakk, or anyone, I'm looking at you.
 
That close, yes, you get influence from the dead. Or at least their dread masters.  Or rather, their dread master's number one servants.


In and amongst all this possible turmoil, you should have a few different factions. Not just locals either, but folks looking to exploit them.  The Guild should have their fingers in the pie--a few Outcastes, hired to get their hands on goodies, and keep the factions from uniting, and possibly freezing out or jacking prices on the Guild.


You've also possibly got a few members of the Lintha family, just keeping an eye on things, and their ears to the ground. Not so much looking to recruit or expand into the territory, but certainly open to chances of grabbing as much as possible and beat feeting the heck out of there--if not just moving in and taking over a few smaller operations, if they haven't already done so, under the guise of the Guild.


Then there are the Abyssals.  Quiet Abyssals. Not army raising, head bashing, nose tearing, fear mongering Abyssals. Quiet, very much on the down low, acting as spies--sending in ghosts when they can, using as much very covert abilities as possible, getting the lay of the land, as much intel as possible, and looking to subvert any and all chances of these folks ever getting their shit together.  And they should be finding the folks who would have the most to lose in the short term, and be working on them, either from afar through intermediaries, Charms, odd dreams, Artifacts that just happen to show up at the right time, ghosts whispering in their ears, or just plain blackmail and fear.  Get the living to do the bulk of the work, so when the MoW gets ready to move again, there is a whole repositiory of First Age Artifacts waiting, with a population that will welcome him--or at least leaders who will either be too scared, or too greedy to give him any ruckus.


Add in to the mix one or two very quiet Lunars and at least one Sidereal who are all watching the events, making note of the players, and keeping tabs on the newest ones.  They haven't yet decided what to do, but are watching with great interest.  Enter the PC's, and the Lunars and the Sidereal can then decide if they want to approach, leave them the hell alone, or end a new threat before it can blossom.
 
Indeed, I had plans for possibly agents of Ma-Ha-Suchi to be in the air and on the ground watching and gathering information for their master, with the Abyssals, I planned on having Mask of Winters possibly make a move with political agents, trying to subvert the people, be on the look out for artifacts, possibly having ghosts waylay shipments of artifacts from teh Empty City area and have a few of his mortal and dead agents infiltrate the Averni to find out who this Deus is, someone, to the MoW, seems very familiar indeed from a place he has trouble recalling sometimes...


Heaven was a given in my plans, merely not knowing how to implement it. I agree with what you suggest, I might have a few elementals and lower spirits watching the players for the Siderial. But I think for the moment, Terrestrials and Abyssals will be the big Exalt players in the region. Outcastes working for the Guild, MoW, or even the Duns or Vinland.


I plan on Lookshy taking a look at all of this, especially some from the Realm garrison at Lila's Gate.
 
^^; Yeah, something tells me I'm going to be running this for many people when all is said and done. I have two groups that want to play it already.
 
I would now like to posea question since my game is starting in a few days now, does anyone at all have some ideas for what I could use as side stories, I believe the first session will be mainly the characters arriving in this land and finding out about the troubles that are brewing. Depending on where they want to start, it will be more pressing of a matter or not.


Anyways, I plan to have them run across an incident involving a few local militia and raving mad man in the middle of the town. He's a former Scavenger Lord. He's trying to warn people about something he saw out in the hinterlands near the Empty City. Insert plot hook here. This is the hopeful beginnings of a long term...adversary or ambiguous boogeyman for the lack of a better term, Arad the Hunter. Some of you know who he is already.


And the CotW book states he's a wonderful opponent, cunning and brilliant in his methods. Well, since it states he's coming back to the River Prvince I figure he would show in an area where the conflict is hot and Exalts are sure to be near. Yes, I know I gave that a bit of a Predator spin, but it works. I don't plan on him owning anyone just yet, he's testing them out and trying to track them across this region. The poor ranting and raving scrounger just happened to see him out on the plains after wiping out a small fang fang of men from the Realm garrison, deep out in the fields.


Well, aside from causing quite the stir in the town, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to supply a few more bits to this, because I'm stumped at the moment. I would request Mr. Bey, FC, or anyother ST's out there for some help!
 
Hmm, a request for a little bit of help. Can anyone think of perhaps small incidents to get my people into trouble with? The first session went well enough as they did their own things but I'm wanting a few more little bits of trouble to happen. Possibly an encounter with spirits, ghosts, other Exalts (aside from a Wyld Hunt I have planned later), possibly something intriuiging someone can dream up from the Empty City?
 
I always like the idea of the characters trespassing unknowingly on the turf of some angry spirit.


Unless the characters are extremely conscientious of the spirit world, they're likely to be trodding through someone's backyard on a regular basis.


I've used this idea twice: Once in my character Spero's background story (see the Characters section), and once to destroy an entire fleet of ships that one of my players commanded. I guess I have a thing for pissed off sea gods :)


-S
 
Ahhh pissed off sea gods, pissed off Brass Leviathan ^_^ I know them well. And yeah, stumbling into someone's home is a good way to impress upon characters, watch your ass and what you say. One of them thinks he's the smoothest person in the world, even though his characters have...hardly any social skill, he figures he can use his own "charm" to impress me. I tell him to roll it, almost always fails and then I let the NPC just have their way with him and the players. He tried to sweet talk the Council of Entities once *shakes head* they got put into Guild...forced labor for twenty years.


But I digress, good idea I must say.
 
Being in the region of the Marukani, how about using Hiparkes, the horse-lord in some way?  An important ranch that breeds finest horses is being haunted or targeted by an angry spirit, another Exalt, etc.


~FC.
 
True I had thought of some how embroiling the Horse-lords in to the regional conflict most likely on the side of the Duns if it came to blows. At the moment, it might be spirits or possibly just politics that may drag them into it. The events that will be happening I expect to change the region and possibly effect all of the Scavenger Lands, well into the East. With what's coming anyways. My only problem is locking down a suitable villain as the Lord of Deandsor.
 
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