The Age of Long Night

Game Master That Other Guy

Introduction to Setting and Quest Background

The Setting: Welcome to my world.

Czarn is a land made of several immortal conflicts, stained relationships, intense adversity, and immense beauty. It was crafted out of the dreams, sacrifices, and bodies of several dead 'Yaevre' gods, originally made for the purpose of worship of their progenitor and propelling the advancement of beauty and life. However, it all went wrong.

The story of its origins can be found in the Campaign Info Tab.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Story Background: The Age of Long Night

Now, it is the 6th Age of this warring world. Since its creation, the interplay of racial wars and religious vendettas have only swollen. In this 6th Age, 'The Age of Apostasy', much of the lands have been cursed by the yaevre Ba'Elzub, and many civil wars and inner conflicts of nations have taken place, some political, some religious. Within these civil wars, many temples have been razed to the ground, their esoteric documents lost.

This has truly been the darkest age Czarn has yet seen. In a sort of cruel irony, the spiritual truth of this has become manifest physically. For some reason, the Yaevre of the Winds have become silent, or lost, and the rotation of the earth, after a long travail of long days and longer nights, has completely stopped moving. Both Sun and Czarn stand still, and almost all of the world is now covered in shadow; the only light above now being the faint malevolent glow of the Skycurse and the dancing Gorb moons.

However, a silver lining to this dark age; the once thought dead race, the angelic Khime Sebak have been seen throughout the whole of the lands for the first time in a long century. To darken this silver lining, however, they came as the bearers of dreadful news: They have witnessed the vexing of the sun by the Gray Elves, and claim that they even now are mobilizing their merciless forces to be unleashed upon the whole face of Czarn, to overshadow Man in their feats, and complete the Adwar Mael Khama in their favor.

Now, this news has spread all over the world, through mainly the gossip of the mercantile state of the Conglomeration, whose ships have touched almost every society they trade with the news from the West.

Your ship, the Defiant Heron, has recently been given orders from the Union to do a reconnaissance job- 'The Chressidan Job' -as the sailing community has called it, to travel round to the cape of the Southeast, to go to the human nation of Chressida and see if it is still alive. It used to be the greatest trading partner of the Conglomeration, and for the past seven years has been all but silent, no word or news comes from there. Your seasoned captain, Jez Ovgrins, has taken the job in stride, and in her fearlessness has lead the crew to where they lay now, the trading port of Nil Karsusha.

Then it all happened...

Character Submission

We are playing 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons.

This is a homebrew world with heavy amounts of lore. All of the available documents can be found and read HERE. It provides all the information for character options and the lore available to players.

The files that say README are required for submissions, and the rest are only there for perusal, exploration and enrichment. Most of the information there is more common knowledge about the plane, but it shouldn't be assumed that your character would know every detail contained.

Take a look at the maps so you have an idea of everything.

Beware, there are class restrictions. It's not negotiable, but it's not gridlocked either.

All of the information regarding Character Creation should be in the documents, save these details:
- Races presented inside of the Google Docs are the options available. They are the Gray Elves, the White Elves, the Ennim, the Khime Sebak, the Golems, the Homunculi, the Hudorians, the Orcs, the Humans, the Dwarves, the Goblins, and the Centaur.
- Starting level is 3
- Stats are 4d6 drop lowest
- HP is full at first, then either rolled HD or half+1 as is written in the PHB
- Standard Equipment from first level (rolled)+50 GP
- Menial equipment is free as long as it makes sense (you can use stuff from PF concerning small things in addition to 5e's books) Tell me all that you take as 'free menial equipment' so I know
- I will give out different items to the party after Character Creation is over, you'll receive them via PM.
- Dwarven=Common
- Evil alignments are okay as long as they are contextualized; think Iago or Gollum, not Morgoth. As it stands the common enemy of all within this scenario is Zophnia.
- Every character must be able to work inside of a group regardless of alignment; however, interpersonal conflict inside of the party can add to roleplay.

I'm looking for depth of background and personality, and an understanding of the world. Fantastic things being in your background are not out of question, but provide a good explanation of why. If you want to show me things you've done roleplaying or writing feel free, I love giving feedback and it will help me gauge your ability.

Provide these on your Profile Pages:
- Crunch
- Appearance: Face, Frame, and Garb
- Background: At least 1 NPC contact who is ALIVE who has influenced your life, and how you came to work on the Defiant Heron merchant ship.
- Personality
- Equipment

The best way to make this work is through conversation. If you have any questions about the setting AFTER you've read the stuff, shoot a PM my way and I will be extremely happy to help you.

I will choose the two best submissions on January 14th.
This deadline might be pushed back depending on circumstance.
I plan on beginning shortly after.
I will continue to update the Campaign Info Tab with tidbits until then.

Campaign Purpose, Gameplay Expectation, DM Standards, and More!

This is not just my first 5e campaign as a DM, but also my first PbP campaign as a DM.

I mean to use this campaign for a few things:
- To fuel my writings inside of this world
- To hone my skills as an immersive DM
- To try out 5e
- To playtest the massive 5e homebrew content inside this setting
- To play with my friend who lives on the other side of the world
- To put my hat into the PbP DM'ing ring
- To provide a memorable experience to my players

I promise you that even though the exposition is top-heavy now, once we get into the campaign everything will be streamlined and immersive. It's just the work of getting everyone on the same page that takes a little time and effort.

I will be taking 2 players from the forums, as 2 other slots have been taken by my friends whom this campaign was originally crafted for. I will only take 2, because I want to provide the best experience for all those involved.

Player Expectations:
- Post once a day; if life gets in the way, please let me know. Healthy Communication is everything, in all parts of life.
- Participate in roleplaying; Yes.
- Pay attention to the setting. I don't expect you to know everything inside of it, just a general understanding, and I will provide all of the points to connect those dots.
- Use your race and class profile fields to show your basic crunch stats
- In battle, post a header for your turns like this: {b}{bigger}Round X: Init: XX{/b}{/bigger}
- When you have advantage or disadvantage, post an extra {dice} underneath the roll in question and have it say {dice=Advantage/Disadvantage} for clarity

What I promise to strive for as DM:
- I will post at the very least once a day. If life gets in the way for me to do so, I will let you all know. If we are communally experiencing life at a fast pace, we can put a pause on the game as is appropriate.
- Provide a good story that will seep into your very soul
- Not get lost inside of my own verbose
- Do good combats
- Make time for you
- Post Initiative at the start of each round
- To Finish What I Start

About me as a DM:

I am a dedicated student to the art of immersive roleplaying. While not a master, I strive to become one as a means to become a better storyteller. I also strive to have excellent combats, cinematically and tactically.

I do not use grids or maps.

I am also of the persuasion that the DM is not against the party, that their job is to put their players in the spotlights of their story, and CHALLENGE THEM.

I'm not talking about throwing AC 34 Spell Immune Medusas at the party, but rather to challenge the players to expand as players holistically, and to have hindrances, losses, and wrenches happen to their characters that they will have to overcome. I will also reward good roleplaying and tactical thinking. I am the benevolent force of antagonism.

I also am against railroading, but am all for contextualizing. If something doesn't work in context, it can't be taken very seriously. I want to make your choices matter as players.

I expect to play the campaign to play out at least until the mystery concerning the long night is resolved, however that may play out. At the very least 2 levels of advancement.

The link again to the Docs

Sorry about the length of this post, I SWEAR I will never post anything near anything this long ever again.

As Urg The Zombie "Urrrg... L-look... F-f... forrrwarrrdd t-to... killl... th-thing..."

Dot... Lots of reading to do...

"Gutter swabs deck and Gutter cuts neck!"

bump

Dotting for interest. Now to read this novel of yours :)

It's almost a novel, yes...

In reality I'm writing the first novella inside of the world right now, but at the same time I audio rally want to delve into each of its elements and explore them more, to make them more 3 dimensional / original.

Regardless, it's a lot to read. But it will be rewarded...

Haven't read through everything yet, but I'm intrigued, if only because I want to try 5th edition myself... Before I get too far into ideas for what to play, let's see what the dice gods have in mind.

EDIT: I do have a question about your wording in the document on class availability, mainly the difference between "access" and "can be gained." Do you need to meet all the requirements for classes that don't have free access, or just one? For example, to play a Druid, would I need to worship one of the listed Yaevre and be a Hudorian/Khime Sebak/Guardian, or would I just need to meet one of those conditions?

Just one condition. If a race has access and you are that race then you don't need any other conditions met.

4d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 3, 6) = 16 => 14
4d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 3, 4) = 14 => 12
4d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 2, 5) = 13 => 11
4d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 5, 4) = 17 => 13
4d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 2, 1) = 13 => 12
4d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 5, 2) = 12 => 10

It sounds interesting. I haven't read the links yet, but I'm gonna toss out some stat rolls tentatively, and review more closely tonight or tomorrow.

4d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 2, 6) = 16 -> 14
4d6 ⇒ (1, 4, 5, 1) = 11 -> 10
4d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 2, 6) = 15 -> 14
4d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 2, 3) = 13 -> 10
4d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 1, 5) = 13 -> 12
4d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 2, 3) = 14 -> 12

Not the most exciting numbers, though serviceable I suppose.

"I must fulfill my purpose, and return with what knowledge of these events that I can"
Hp: 8 + 1 + 1d8 + 1 + 1d8 + 1 ⇒ 8 + 1 + (5) + 1 + (5) + 1 = 21

After a quick glance, my concept is a Golem Feylock, puzzling over why Rahn Behn chose him.

If I understand correctly, only humans and golems dream? The other races simply rest in complete tranquility?

After a quick glance, my concept is a Golem Feylock, puzzling over why Rahn Behn chose him.

If I understand correctly, only humans and golems dream? The other races simply rest in complete tranquility?

Essentially. The souls of the races are made of different royal elements, and the pure Tzah given by Malki Tzadek has the propensity to allow dreaming. At the same time, dreaming in and of itself is basically a conduit for communication for Malki Tzadek to those he has chosen.

Other races find it hard to fathom, but can understand it intellectually.

Alright, taking the concept a little further, and adding in a society if that's alright:

Ertzah is a Verdant Golem, a member of the Emberwatch organization which actively monitors potential firestarters (both literal and metaphorical) and sends agents to take action as necessary, all in the name of preservation.

Ertzah has served faithfully the Emberwatch faithfully for many cycles, both as an advisor and a handler for a younger agent, Mishra. But lately, his dreams have taken a turn for the strange as Ran Behn shows him otherworldly scenes. With these dreams an arcane power is awakened in Ertzah.

The next night after the council decided Mishra would be sent to join the Chressida expedition, Ertzah makes the craziest decision of his life: he does not schedule the meeting, and boards the Defiant Heron as the Emberwatch agent himself.

Still dedicated to the cause of preservation, he is also driven to understand his dreams.

Sidenote: Do golems self-identify in masculine/feminine? Or do they refer to each other as "it"?

Ooh, another 5E... Dotting with interest.

@Petty Alchemy

The society thing is perfect.

They refer to each other as masculine and feminine, while other races usually refer to them asexually. It's based out of an admiration for their human counterparts. Also, the physical aesthetics of golems will range vastly on the scale of masculinity and femininity. They more or less 'wear' a gender identity as a casual and spiritual formality rather than anything else, they know they are different from the fleshlings.

A thing for all who want to play:

This game will have elements of mystery involved, if the party decides to run with them then they will become a more prominent element, if not, then it might not be.

Story's always fun, though a zombie might have a bit of trouble with the social interaction part of it all.

Urg's HP: 15 + 1d10 + 5 + 1d10 + 5 ⇒ 15 + (5) + 5 + (3) + 5 = 33

As Urg "Urrrg... N-not h-happy-y... W-with... R-rolls..."

Just rolling dem stats.
Stats: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 2, 5, 1) = 13 = 12
Stats: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 5, 3, 2) = 16 = 14
Stats: 4d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 1, 2) = 12 = 11
Stats: 4d6 ⇒ (1, 4, 1, 4) = 10 = 9
Stats: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 6, 5, 5) = 21 = 16
Stats: 4d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 1, 1) = 12 = 11

Okay, looks good.
Been thinking on making a Dwarven Rogue (likely to be some kind of agent on a fact-finding mission) and the stats makes that quite possible.
Still working on background, how detailed do you want it thought out? Do you want me to give you a full family tree and with childhood memories? Or is just a couple of lines enough?

Rolling starting gold (for rogue)
Stats: 4d4 ⇒ (4, 2, 1, 4) = 11x10 + 50 = 160gp.

What's the party so far?

There's me, with DM's permission, I'm playing a Zombie Fighter. I'm shamelessly playing the Black Knight from Monty Python's The Holy Grail, only he's undead.

One of my friends has bowed out of the campaign.

This has some implications.

At the end of the day, this means that there are now instead of 2,

4 slots open for submission.

I've decided that running a 5 man squad shouldn't be terrible, so math.

4 slots open.
Deadline is the 14th.

What's the party so far?

Thus far, the party is Thraxil, and the 4 top submissions from the forums.

@Mad Beetle
He needs a motivation, quirks, values, 1 living NPC contact, the stuff from the background chapter of the PHB, and I have to be able to put him on the map.
However concisely you can produce those details is fine.

If he is an agent of a fact-finding source, we could spin that a number of ways, one of which being a wealthy Conglomeration trademonger whose family/assets were lost in Chressida, another being a Homunculus-based scientific guild from Zikzar, a third being among the network of fences and gossipworkers in the Conglomeration.
We have a lot of potential ways to flesh it out, let me know what works best for you.

Gotcha, then currently:

Confirmed:
Thraxil, Golem Monk

Applicants:
Urg, Zombie Fighter (unless he is the friend that bowed out)?
Gutter, Goblin Rogue
[MadBeetle], Dwarven Rogue
[Loup Blanc]
Ertzah, Golem Warlock
[PrismaticMonk]

Plus any potentially PMed submissions/expressions of interest.

Yeah, Urg's bowing out. It's not quite his place.

Oh, we have a monk? That was one of the ways I was thinking of going.

IN THAT CASE, expect an Orc Barbarian coming up in the next couple of days. Should be just as good and fun (potentially more so) than my original thought, anyway.

EDIT: Actually, having second thoughts. Might try a Paladin of some sort. Or an Ennim, they seem very neat. My point is, I don't actually know what i want to build yet, so I'm mostly just hoping to get something finished in time :)

A Hudorian Bard (surprised they don't get access normally) might be an interesting choice, playing a support role in combat or grappling foes into submission.
Is Swim proficiency meant to be Athletics, as I believe that's what covers swimming now.

Still prefer my Golem submission right now, though I might consider changing it up since there's already a Golem. It could also be interesting to roll a Homunculus for the dynamic with Golems, but I'm not getting any inspiration for a Homunculus right now.

A Hudorian Bard (surprised they don't get access normally) might be an interesting choice, playing a support role in combat or grappling foes into submission.

Is Swim proficiency meant to be Athletics, as I believe that's what covers swimming now.

Still prefer my Golem submission right now, though I might consider changing it up since there's already a Golem. It could also be interesting to roll a Homunculus for the dynamic with Golems, but I'm not getting any inspiration for a Homunculus right now.

That's an amazing point on the Hudorian Bard access.

Race homogeneity among the party is not discouraged at all, so don't let that influence your decision. Golem warlock is a really interesting combination.

Homunculi definitely seem weaker than the other races, their redemption is mini-Expertise (doubling proficiency bonus on a sub-use of a certain skill, which I'm sure doesn't stack with Expertise from a class, or else it would be perhaps excessively strong).

I could see a Homunculus biologist obsessed with grappling and takedowns go so far as to become a Druid to research the techniques used by the beasts of the wild, testing them out for herself in Wildshape.

Makes sense to me!

The homunculi are definitely not frontline fighters. Unless that is what they are obsessed with, in which case, nothing in the 'verse could stop them... ...from trying.

Alright, I've got a stat block setup for an Ennim Barbarian, which is what I'm going with right now. Let me know if I screwed anything up and if Nikomedos is an okay name for this race; if everything's good, I'll get it in an alias and get cracking on backstory.

Great job man it all looks very legit

I'm going with Golem Warlock I think. I'll finish up a sheet if selected, and upon seeing the complete party to see which spells might help (probably Tome, maaaybe Chain).

Deadline soon! If you're lurking or wanting to throw your hat in, do so with haste!

The 14th.

I'll be honest, I'm having trouble coming up with any solid backstory for my character, and I can't find much information in the documents you linked as to where ennims might be found. Right now I'm thinking he's sojourned into the wilderness for a long time, living off the land and performing his own sort of spiritual meditation (I strongly considered the Hermit background, but ended up going with Outlander because ultimately I think it fit better). Not sure what Yaevre he'd worship at the moment.

Mostly I'm asking if we could work together on building the character's background and such, because I'm not sure I know enough about the setting and don't want to screw around with it or anything. It all seems very interesting but I'm not sure how to fit my character into it.

Of course!

Ennim live in the central-most part of Czarn. Their country is hill-lands where buffalo roam and reign. On the '6th Age Borders Map' in the docs their country is Risherbris Rishub, number 3, the pale blue country. They also have been slowly integrating into the Conglomeration, the merchant state, shown as the Beige number 12 country on the same map.

In the surrounding lands on any side of Risherbris, there are a vast amounts of untame lands, deserts to the south, mountain and taiga to the northwest, lush forest to the northeast, and the cursed lands of carcem maveth to the near-east.

And he could be driven to a trading outpost from perhaps a source of antagonism, slavery, rivalry, hunting trade or otherwise, where through a number of other means he could find out about the Defiant Heron and their odious quest to lost Chressida. You'd have to write in a motivation for him to want to go onto the ship, but they pick up willing bodies wherever they make pit-stops because so few want to actually go on that trail of doom.

If he is religious, even in a most primal manner, Ennim usually worship Bedingerdinger, or default to Ba'Elzub worship. Some could find themselves worshipping Ranaph or Rahn Behn, and an even smaller margin could find themselves revering Burnsch or the Four Orders.

Alright!

4 slots, 4 submissions.

Perfect equilibrium.

Thraxil, Mad Beetle, Loup Blanc, Petty Alchemy, Goblin Gutter:

Finalize your characters, begin to post in the Discussion forum, and we will begin the adventure promptly on the 17th.
We can mete out character background details and answers to questions inside of the Discussion forum from now until then and forever after.

This recruitment is now

Closed.

To those who are in the campaign:

Post in the Discussion thread so I know you're alive, online, and how ready you are to start tomorrow. If you're not ready yet, then we can postpone; just let me know if you are still with us.

Thanks.

I found this thread a couple days too late. Look forward to seeing what you guys do, good luck.

Why thank you mate, if we get open slots over time and you're still on board, we could make something happen. I don't think this will be the last game I run on these forums, either for 5e or for my world, so there should be opportunities in the future... Somewhere... Unless I die......

...It's great to know we have a viewer. Lol