Fandom Dragon's Dogma: Shadow Seneschal (Lore)

[GojiBean]

"I woke from my nightmare with great hunger. A hunger for the divine throne denied me so very long ago. A hunger for power. For control. But now, at long last, it is mine. The power of creation is at my command. And with it I shall exact my divine punishment upon this reality for denying me my birthright."

- Shadow Seneschal​

Eternity...

Tis but a single word wreathed in mystery. A word which taunts us. Tempts us. And confounds us.

What is 'eternity'?

Tis life. Tis death. Tis the never ending cycle. We are born. We die. We are born again, only to die again. On and on. The flow of time begets naught but the fear and acceptance of death. Tis the greeting of the sun and moon in sequence by the eyes of infinity.



Welcome to the lore page for Dragon's Dogma: Shadow Seneschal!

Here I'll be providing a brief overview of Gransys, as well as the four named locations beyond its reaches which will serve as explorable territory on our journey to free ourselves from the bonds of the title of Arisen.

So, without further to do, let's get started!

Gransys

Gransys will serve as the starting location for this RP. The map is the same as the in-game map from the original Dragon's Dogma. However, it is to be understood that it's not so small as to be traversable on foot in one day's time. Video game world space is limited. The "real" world is not so limited.

For example, the time it takes to travel on foot from Cassardis to 'The Encampment,' where you encounter the first Cyclopse and Hydra, is roughly 2 minutes of walking/running in-game.

In the RP, this journey would take a full day and night if one is on foot. On horseback it could be done in a matter of hours providing the horse is well rested and cared for.

From The Encampment to Grand Soren is a 2-week journey on horseback. A month on foot.

So yeah. Gransys is much larger in this RP than it is in-game. And we will be taking this into account during our journey. The Dragons who steal our hearts are in no rush to fulfill their duties to test the Arisen. So small time skips while moving from location to location are going to be a given. Otherwise the RP would take forever going from one location to the next, let alone seeing through an entire journey from start to finish for story purposes.

Otherwise, this region is exactly the same as it is in the game.

Hearthstone

Hearthstone is a neighboring Duchy to Gransys, and lies to the North. Its people are known to love their wine such that even more reticent women of the country can drink any Gransys soldier under the table.

It is also known for its lords and ladies, and boasts many respectable noble houses from which many a famous knight have been born.

As part of the longstanding alliance with Gransys and other countries, Hearthstone will send aid to its fellow nations if called upon during a time of a Dragon attack. And, in turn, the same respect and courtesy is returned should the Dragon attack Hearthstone itself.

The current ruler is a man named Grende Hearthstone VI. A reserved, yet wise and fair man who sits atop a dark steel throne. If there was a single complaint about him from the commonwealth it would be that he, much like his predecessors, is too content to relax during troubling times. Even during Dragon attacks in times long past his lineage responded to the request for aid while simultaneously enjoying life as 'normal' without a single announcement of how the effort to combat the Dragon was going, how many of their own whom they'd sent away had been killed or had returned, etc.

Meloire

Meloire is a Kingdom in the central region of 'The Mainland.' They are known for their steel which is stronger and darker in color to common steel from Gransys. Tis from this steel which the throne of Duke Grende Hearthstone VI was crafted as part of a 'Renewal' agreement of the alliance's pact which was performed twenty years ago.

Meloire is a land of mild mystery and boasts the largest, richest, and most dense forest in the world known as the Grove of the Gods. Many a unique beast roam these woodlands, including beasts the like of which humanity would never wish to encounter in a dark alley. With beauty, mystery, and danger in equal measure, tis a fool's errand to enter these woodlands alone.

Liore

Liore is the land to the West of Gransys which was supposedly laid waste to by a Dragon in ages past.

In that time the land has slowly begun to regrow with new plant life. And as the greenery has returned so too has the wildlife. Though it tis still a far cry from the bountiful landscape it once was in ages past, it tis never the less a land of new hope and promise.

People have slowly begun migrating to Liore with dreams of a fresh start in a new, budding land. And though they have found their dream, it does come with a cost. Due to the impact of the Dragon's attack, the land is still largely infertile making crop growth difficult. Water sources which are clean and devoid of ash or corrupted stones tainted by the beasts which came with the Dragon's assault are difficult to find.

If you do find a way to make a life for yourself here, count yourself as lucky.

There is no central government as yet. Towns and villages are ruled by a Mayor who, more or less, simply acts as a talking head to give voice to the public's concerns and assure them that work is being done to resolve any conflicts or worrying situations.

Voldoa

Located to the West of Gransys, but North of Liore, Voldoa was lucky to escape the wrath of the Dragon and retains its bounty and beauty.

Known for its woodworking and architectural brilliance, you'd be hard pressed to find more stunning and eye-catching home designs and layouts, roofing, or intricate carvings in the walls, floors, and ceilings than one would find here. Even a pauper's house puts that of a noble in Gransys to shame.

However, it tis not known for its military. With Voldoa being part of the alliance and knowing it must have a military to protect itself just in case anything should happen, it has just enough of a military presence to stave off the standard would-be invaders. But not enough to face a Dragon.

If there is a knock on the King and Queen of Voldoa, it's that they and their family lineage, which has been in place for centuries, are too lax in their efforts to defend the homeland.


As far as creatures, Gransys creatures will sometimes carry into other regions as we can expect varying sub-species of all manner of beasts to exist across the globe.

I will, however, do my best to occasionally come up with new creatures we can introduce depending on the region in which we are traveling. Any assistance I could get on this would be greatly appreciated! I'll be happy to consider all submitted ideas, though I will not promise to approve all of them. I need to make sure that they make sense given the context of Dragon's Dogma's creature design, as well as the additions to the four above locations I've added.

But still, don't let that scare you. Fire away with your ideas!

The magic system will be the same, including spell names. However, since there's no real need to "advance" through Vocations (since that's a video game mechanic), we won't worry about "class changing" from Fighter to Warrior.

Additionally, we won't bother ourselves with the "techniques" of the physical fighting classes. The Shield Bash is not a technique. It's just hitting your shield. Anyone with a shield can do it. So it's not something that will be "class locked." Whether your character is a simple sword/shield fighter, longsword fighter, greatsword fighter, or any other manner of single-blade fighter, you can use whatever manner of combat you'd like so long as it suits the weapon.

And please, for the love of all things holy, don't have your characters shout out the names of their attacks. That's one of the dumbest things about anime/video games that really grinds my gears because it announces your presence, gives away your position on the battlefield, and literally serves no purpose. Shouting "Savage Slash" is not going to magically make the swing stronger. If anything, it will get weaker since your focus is split between the shout and the swing itself.

So don't do that. Thanks.

Mages, you too. There's no need to chant an incantation to launch Frazil or Ingle or any other spell from the game. Simply make sure your character finds a safe spot to gather their magical energy, concentrate it into the spell of choice, and launch the sucker at whomever the target may be.

Lastly, items.

Items in the game are still viable as most of them are equipment or material based. A few exceptions exist, such as the Ferrystone which is a magical stone and can transport you to any location you've visited and where you've put down a port crystal.

Ferrystones are a thing, and we'll use them to move quickly from one location to the next just like you can in the game. However, we'll also be bound by the rule that we have to place a port crystal in order to do so. Unlike the games (unless we're talking about Dark Arisen) a Ferrystone is no longer a one-time use item. It's infinite. The one limitation is that you can only use it to travel once per day as it takes roughly 20-28 hours for it to recharge its magical energy before being used again.

Armor and weapons can be taken straight out of the game listings. But they will come at a cost of gold coins which serves as the currency of the realms. Whatever they cost in-game is what they will cost us in the RP. And I expect everyone who wants to upgrade their gear to do so the hard way by earning the gold needed to do so rather than just having it magically show up so they can upgrade willy nilly. That crap ain't gonna fly.

To earn gold we can and will be doing quests much the same as in the game, alongside other things such as deliveries (both local and long-distance), finding it in the wilds (usually bandit camps, dungeons/caves, etc), and earning it through competitions like non-lethal gladiatorial bouts (blunt, wooden weapons instead of edged weapons so death is highly unlikely).

Any questions, shoot me a DM!