| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
In the southern reaches of the continent of Sarkonda, the great river Do’ol set Maradha, translated from the Nomadi tongue as ‘Lifeblood of the Mother,’ carves its arterial path through the barricading peaks of the Piercing Crossway to reach its full majesty and purpose in nourishing the fecund lands of Rekkar-Sarrat. Without the river’s bountiful floodplain, this realm would be much like those that surround it - dry, desiccated, and all but inhospitable, with soil of ash and sand and naught but the pitiless sun to turn to. Yet the great goddess Makah-Nihr saw fit to gift this land with her blood and water, to feed the earth and slake its thirst, to let life congregate at the center of these arid wastes, and to make a home for the weak and the meager and the vagabonds whom fate had chosen to send there.
So are the teachings of the Nomadi, the humans who have travelled the floodplain of the great river since the time known as the Vagrant Age, long before the region was known as Rekkar-Sarrat. To them was it known variably as Mara’Isan, Maradha-Una, or simply Mara, and other epithets still in their vast oral history. It was a land they did not claim as their own, for such a gift was given to all who would need of it and all who would honor it, as Makah’Nihr had no chosen children. The Nomadi shared this gift with others who dwelled within it - the Shuka, the Gosana, the Ssorisk, the Jinn - and these peoples lived in relative harmony or, in the very least, indifference.
Specifics of the Vagrant Age are largely unknown as the history of its peoples is unwritten and their contact was infrequent. It was nearly two thousand years ago to the current time, however, when an outside force would shape the future of this land, reforging not only its identity but its name as well. When the Pharosi arrived from the Dunes of Endless Sun into this Maradha-Una, their weary souls could afford no harmony or indifference, and they claimed all as their domain.
Generations of conquest followed in a furious campaign which transfigured into the construction of an empire. Lands were tamed, cities were built, and the Pharosi became the masters of the Mother’s gift, naming the land Rekkar-Sarrat, and ushering in the Age of Pharaohs. The unification that had been brought forth by this colonization would not last, however, and the Pharosi fragmented, the Pharaohs and their lineages carving up the conquered lands to rule. Kingdoms were built, but Pharaohs would clash and kingdoms would fall, redrawing the maps of the realm consistently for a thousand years.
In those thousand years, however, the world beyond came to Rekkar-Sarrat. First it was the merchant riverboats of the Gnomes of Corodo, then the Dwahani refugees of Dwahan, then the pirates of Xeng Q’ui and the Elves of Setal Solaris and others from half the world over. The Lifeblood not only brought nourishment to the land, but an endless stream of gold and commerce as well…gold and commerce that eventually came to rival, even eclipse, the authority of the Pharaohs. How could the golden light of the God-Kings compare to the gold their subjects could hold in their hands?
Rekkar-Sarrat evolved and became a land of trade and enterprise, a crucial checkpoint in the mercantile routes of the greater world. With every new ship down the river, every new shop opened, every new guild formed, the grip of the Pharaohs weakened as the Pharosi and other subjects of the lands found the means to carve their own destinies.
What destiny will you carve in this flourishing land of opportunity? The rising Guildhouses seek craftsmen and merchants to swell their ranks as they vie for control and influence over the cities of Rekkar-Sarrat. The priests fear their own authority being jeopardized by a population pushing against the edges of the caste system and are eager to cement their status in the changing world. The Azrak in the north maintain control over The Taken Land and have increased their raids on the Dwahani charged with defending the border. Painted Elves from the east have introduced the coveted resource of lavaglass into the riverland trade network, and buyers seek protection for their investments as they travel through the Orc-dominated Scablands. Mages and collectors are launching expeditions into the Sandwaste and Dunes of Endless Sun in search of forgotten artifacts and treasures. And of course, the remaining Pharaohs seethe from their thrones, their grasp on their kingdoms weakening with each passing year.
Whether through swinging a sword, finalizing a sale, pledging allegiance to a god or Pharoah, forging steel, or spelunking forgotten ruins, all walks of life can find fame, fortune, purpose, work, escape, or fulfillment in Rekkar-Sarrat.
For the Age of Pharaohs has ended, the Age of Gold has begun.
___________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________
Mete anu, my friends, and bedal-salid! Welcome to Rekkar-Sarrat. This land of opportunity welcomes you with open arms, but take care that no dagger finds your back.
This campaign has been a long time coming. I started work on this region and world some 15 years ago, played a few sessions of a campaign in it that fell apart, and have yet to return, so I am excited to see it unfold. I only ask that you bear with me as it is all pulled together. I have put a lot of effort so far into the encyclopedia of this world but I have a lot more to go still, and the contents of the Drive I will link is nowhere near complete. I've just come to realize that if I wait until I write every single thing I want to, I'll never get around to actually playing it.
I'll be continuously working on the Drive and its contents and will try to put out updates as I complete new entries. Right now I think I have enough of the setting information and lore hammered down to at least get the discussion thread started so we can start formulating characters and find more players and all that.
This drive will provide information on the races, classes, regions, and systems I have in place for the setting and the campaign. The House Rules doc will go over most of the things I'll be doing, but I'll summarize here as well.
First, though, I'd like to kind of lay out my goals and hopes for the game. I'm looking to really try to craft a living world through this setting, I want to work closely with everyone to create characters that really fit in and have a place in the world with their backgrounds, goals, beliefs, and all that. My aim is to not have PCs just be people doing things in the context of an adventure, but actual members of the civilization. I actually have no plan for a specific quest or storyline to embark on - my machinations as the DM are going to be reactive to your goals, decisions, and interests as players and characters. There will be plot threads and seeds scattered about, of course, but ultimately I want you to be architects how the campaign moves. So whether you make characters who have political aspirations, mercantile goals, constructed personal stories, or even just want to be traditional adventurers, I'm open to all paths.
That said, as far as setting and character creation
Setting is low-mid magic. Spellcasters are playable and exist as NPCs but day to day life is more grounded. There aren't any overarching magical systems ingrained into society, or things like flying cities, magical sewers, etc. Many regular people might go days,weeks, or months without interacting with magic. Magic items will also be handled different. There aren't really any magical stores or shops and most items will be found or made instead of purchased. A bit more info on that in the House Rules doc.
Races are pretty different than core. I kind of did a whole new system for racial abilities and a lot of their lore is different as well. The crunch-only racial statistics are all listed out on 00. All Race Statistics in the Races folder. This is doc is complete with the stats for all playable races. The races folder itself has more detailed entries on the races (this folder is incomplete, but races 1-10 are complete with fluff). The races are divided as such:
01 - 07 - Denizen Races. These are the races that are either indigenous to Rekkar-Sarrat OR whose presence has contributed heavily to the development of society and civilization there.
08 - 13 - Local Races. These are the races who live in the regions surrounding Rekkar-Sarrat and who may frequent it.
14 - 18 - Foreign Races. These are the races who come from far off lands and have no established culture or society in Rekkar-Sarrat. These are usually merchants, traders adventurers, or explorers.
19 - The Aljinuar (Geniekin) are more or less the Undine/Oread/Ifrit/Sylph from core, though treated a bit differently in that they are more like templates. These can appear among any race and choose a "parent" race to which they are born which determines their size and base appearance.
20 - 23 - These races are not playable for lore reasons but have a presence in or around Rekkar-Sarrat.
Classes: The available classes are shown in classes folder. They include Arcanist, Barbarian, Bard, Bloodrager, Brawler, Cavalier, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Hunter, Inquisitor, Monk, Oracle, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Shaman, Skald, Slayer, Sorcerer, Swashbuckler, Warpriest, Witch, and Wizard. I've left out a couple classes that I either am not fond of or that I don't think are conducive to PbP, or that don't fit in lorewise. Some classes will have slight changes based on some other house rules (such as alignment changes that I will touch on). This different docs just sort of go over the classes in the context of the setting but I've only hammered out a couple so far.
Alignment: We won't be playing with traditional alignment, and instead characters will choose Ideals and Avoidances This will obviously have impact on some game mechanics, but we will hash that out as we go, or I can answer any questions you have about it.
I also have some new class features or options that I'm still working on, so I'll update those as I complete them.
Weapon Groups: Weapons are divided into like groups rather than Simple/Martial/Exotic. All characters are proficient with the Basic weapon group which includes dagger, club, and quarterstaff, and then class determines how many additional groups you can select proficiency with. Some weapons have special abilities that are unlocked through the Advanced Weapon Proficiency feat which takes the place of Exotic Weapons. You can use a weapon with an advanced ability without penalty if you are proficient with the group, but can only use its listed advanced trait if you have the Advanced Proficiency feat. There's more detail on that in the House Rules doc. I haven't fully written out all of the weapons descriptions and abilities but the crunch is there on the spreadsheet (sheet 1 is proficiency and groups, sheet 2 has all the weapons).
I think those are the main topics I wanted to talk about here at the beginning. But I'm not expecting any stats or full sheets anytime soon, I really just wanted to get the ball rolling and start opening up the dialogue while I continue adding entries to the drive. So again, please bear with me with that.
I welcome any and all questions and ideas. If I don't have a page on something filled out, it just means I haven't written it fully yet but I still probably have an answer to whatever you're thinking. I also do not expect anyone to actually read everything which is perfectly ok, though you may want to read the 'Pharosi' entry in the races folder to get a good overview of the region. If you have any baseline ideas for anything you might want to play, I can probably point you in a direction.
I feel like that may have been a bunch of word soup, but hopefully it made sense! I really appreciate those I have invited showing the interest in playing, and that goes for any future players reading this as well.
Looking forward to sharing this undertaking with you all!
I’m interested, GM.
Honestly, I didn’t get through all the information because I just had an eye surgery so my reading will be off for just a bit. But from what I got through some sort of gnome arcane caster seems up my alley here!
Lots to get my teeth into here WS - awesome job - truly.
As previously discussed I'll be going with a Gnoll of some vocation...
Glad to have you both aboard in this new venture. Hope your recovery goes smoothly, Gerald!
No rush in processing all of the info. I've still a fair amount of work on my end and getting the discussion thread up was mostly just to set things in motion and make it real. I'll likely seek some input from you guys on certain elements or ideas, as well. For example, I've been debating implementing the P6 / P8 / P10 idea, which if you are unfamiliar is a system where traditional leveling stops at 6, 8, 10, or whatever chosen level. Xp is still accumulated past that point and earns additional feats which replaces the level-based progression after the cap is hit. I've never tried it personally but have always been intereted, and I think it particularly works well for a lower-magic and more grounded campaign. Not sure as of yet though. I've also considered developing a 'Prestige Path' system if we were to use P#, which in addition to feats would unlock new abilities or powers based around a theme.
Also this is obviously a playtest of sorts for all of these race and class changes I'm doing (I don't actually plan on changing classes too much, mainly just mechanics that interact with alignment but there are class options like new domains, barbarian rage powers etc I will be injecting), so depending on feedback or insights these things might tweak over time. I think all of the racial features are more or less in tune..i know some of the options are a bit niche but I designed some of them with the idea of PCs not just being traditional adventurers; things that could be more useful for other aspects of things. I'll encourage PCs to engage in multiple arenas :)
We'll be using Background Skills and the optional Bargaining rules for certain things (not every transaction, but when selling things like gems/art objects/etc). If there are any other systems you guys like or are interested in let me know.
I'm in a looooong running Freeport Pirate PBP here on the boards WS and we use P6 - works pretty well, allows GMs to dangle some options and advancements to PCs post 6th Level.
Only issue is it does encourage you to optimise early knowing that advancement will slow - hence my bloody bosun of a Half-Orc being frighteningly good at Intimidation.
Background Skills are awesome and I'm a huge advocate of Traits also. I actually used them in my Iboria game as awarded/earned achievement traits - personalised to game goals or to character storylines, but again I'm bias lol as I love traits and make sure they reflect my character's background rather than being a way of getting X Skill or +1 .
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Glad you have experience with the system and can give some insight. Makes sense with the optimization point..though I'm still leaning into the direction of using P6 as I think it would fit well with the vision I have for the setting. I have read about some folks liking the P8 variation as 8th level has some capstone abilities for a lot of classes, though I have also seen P6 where they make those capstone abilities a feat to take post-cap. Will mull on this some more as we don't need to decide this insant.
I took a lot of inspiration from traits when designing the new racial traits (if you haven't explored yet, basically each race has a a few universal traits and then can pick 1 of 5 racial traits that each grant 2 abilities akin in power to core traits.) I'm not opposed to expanding and incorporating character traits too, though. I'm also a fan of anything that can help reflecting backstory.
I was also planning on granting some sort of boon for each character after completion, something that ties into their personal stories and goals, sort of like a custom Story Feat.
Hello. I'm definitely interested. I don't have any qualms about using the P6/8/10 rules, and I think I'd rather like it that way anyway. I think Pathfinder tends to be the most fun at levels 3-8, so capping it there is no issue for me.
I'll be reading over the docs in the evenings, so might be a bit slow getting up to speed, but you've definitely piqued my interest with that write up. I see a lot of influences from Mesopotamia here on Earth, so looking forward to that. One thing you might be interested in is listening to the Fall of Civilizations podcast on YouTube. There's several episodes on civilizations from that region, but all of them are worth a listen to.
Anywho, it's getting late here, so I'll be taking a looksee at one of the docs then going to bed.
Welcome welcome, glad to have you aboard!
I'm definitely leaning into doing P# so as long as there's a general consensus I think we would be good there. Take your time with any reading, and please don't feel like you have to read everything. If you have any leading questions that you might feel would point you in a direction, ask away. I'm hoping to have some more race and class stuff up over the next week.
I definitely drew a lot of inspiration for things from Mesopotamia (and Egypt and Arabia). I'm a lifelong history junkie, even (perhaps foolishly) majored in it, and other than Scandinavia, Antiquity east of the Mediterranean has always been my favorite. I haven't encountered that particular podcast though so I'll have to check it out.
I don't think you'll be disappointed. The narrator is a great storyteller. I hear on being a history junkie. I may have majored in Computer Science, but I loved watching the History Channel growing up, at least when it was actually history and not nutty conspiracy theories disguised as history. I think that's why I love finding out about the history of things I'm interested in, even if I don't go out looking for it that much.
As for P#, I think P8 would be good, though I have no issues with doing P6 or P10 instead. I just think 10th is a little to powerful and 6 might be a bit too limiting. Just my two cents, though.
I know I don't have to read everything, but I love exploring new worlds, so I probably will at some point. :D
I guess my big questions are is this more bronze age in tech and cultural level or is it more a panache like in pulp adventures, and are there beast-touched races or goblins? I've seen hobgoblins, but I didn't see any mentions of their little gobbo cousins.
I'm kinda feeling a gladiator, perhaps a slave, or a merchant princess that takes up the mantle of a thief or vigilante at night. Still mulling things over as I read up on the world.
I think being a fantasy/trpg fan and history fan just have such a large shared portion of the diagram that it only makes sense for most of us to at least have a casual interest in it. Though now that I am in the process of looking for a new job, I'm wishing I would have majored in CompSci -_-
Yeah 8 is what I'm thinking too, seems to be a good little window.
The technology level and everything is still going to have a more traditional fantasy veneer, so we'll be post bronze age. I'd say the best approximation would be Islamic Golden Age era. The in-game 'Age of Pharaohs' covers about 2000 years, but I kind of equate it to 1000 BCE through 1000 AD in the real world. So when the Pharosi arrived in Rekkar-Sarrat it would have been the tail end of the in-game "Bronze Age" and now it's Islamic Golden Age middle east amalgamated with Early Middle Ages/beginning High Middle Ages Europe...in the civilized areas along the river, anyway. Surrounding regions and peoples might be more regressive.
There are more bestial races available - Orcs, Gnolls, Hobgbolins, Testudin, Rapterean. I've been back and forth with goblins. Ended taking them off the list for now just because I was having trouble working out their abilities and such, but I can work them back in if you are interested. They'd likely be sort of the servile caste below the Hobgoblins, who have a very harsh society based on punishment and discipline. Sort of a "power and perfection through pain" type deal.
I can do some brief blurbs on the races I haven't gotten around to doing full write-ups yet:
Hobgoblins live a life of toil, discipline, and punishment. The core of their society has recently (within the past 50-100 years) come to be centered in the worship of the God Zul-Zad. Zul-Zad is a god of suffering, thirst, discipline, blood, and industrious efficiency. He demands obedience, structure, and purification through pain. Ritual scarification, fasting, punishment (self-inflicted or no), and rigorous discipline are tenets of their society.
They spend most of their time in the caves and mountainous passes of the Wall of Karsuss mountains where they practice artifice, blood magic, and train their bodies and minds with iron rigidity. They raided Rekkar-Sarrat in the past but now direct most of their violence into the Scablands, and they actually do business now with the riverlands, mainly via slave trade, but some groups sell the products of their labor. Some groups still attack Rekkar-Sarrat, though. Hobgoblins cells also fight one another for dominance and out of zealous expression; if one group sees another as undisciplined or too luxurious/not suffering enough, they will war.
The Testudin are a people mainly in service to nature and the land, and they have what they believe an ordained mission to bring life, growth, and greenery to the wastes. They reside in the eastern Scablands (though originally came from elsewhere), and use their magic and terraforming knowledge in attempts to bring nourishment to the land. Their attempts are often stifled by the Orcs and Hobgoblins that attack them. There are other Testudin in different parts of the world doing the same, or so they say, but this is the only group known to the people of the region.
Testudin themselves maintain a peaceful society that serves the world itself, but they do defend themselves. Some have actually come to the civilized parts of the river to find like-minded folk that might agree to help them in their efforts, primarily by defending against the raids and incursions from their foes. Testudin are far-traveled, though they have historically moved very slowly in their overland travel, spending ages in one region doing what they can before moving to another. The Testudin in the Scablands claim to have come from the Dead Wastes, and Lavagout before that, but their journey has taken centuries. There are Testudin adventurers as well, though most still live such a life in service to nature.
The Rapterean originally dwelt among a chain of mesas in what is now the Sarrat known as Yalshur. They were ultimately driven out by the Pharosi after sustained conflict and fled to the mountains where they had some more scuffles with goblinoids, and then to the Scablands. They originally were just passing through until they reached a giant mesa in the western Scablands with an abandoned temple on top housing a statue of some being eerily similar to them, took this as providence, and settled there. This has led them into an endless feud with the Orcs, specifically of the Hellspine clan, though they have survived for centuries and still claim the highest points of the Scablands.
Rapterean have a matriarchal society that has grown to be quite militant. They are mistrusting of outsiders but within their own culture, outside of the military endeavors, actually lead very whimsical and artistic lives. Music and song are important to them, and an instrument or paintbrush are as crucial as the spear. They have not had much contact with Rekkar-Sarrat but there are individuals who have gone there.
The rest of the races are from half a world or more away, traders and travelers. Half-Elves and Half-Orcs are usually from elsewhere, or possibly the native products of Pharosi/Nomadi/Dwahani and Elves/Orcs from afar. The Solari Elves are your more traditional High Elf, hailing from other parts of the world but originating from Setal Solaris where the ruling Magocracy of the Nine Leaves rules. The Quians and Lanpei are both from an archipelago off the coast of Sarkonda called Xeng Qui. The Quians tend to be smugglers, pirates, and the like while the Lanpei are hired by them as muscle and mercenaries.
All that said, I also want to point out that we don't have to kick this campaign off as a "you all meet in a tavern" scenario. If you guys want to start separate and be in completely different regions running some solo vignettes at first, I'm cool with that. So feel free to pick a race or make a character that might not currently be in the civilized part if you don't want to!
Oh, that could be a lot of fun.
As for goblins, it could be interesting to make them kinda like a dark mirror of the halflings. They're both small and sneaky, but where as halflings are lucky, at least in Pathfinder (need to read the write up on them more closely for this setting), goblins are more like jinxes. They can cause others to have bad luck, but in turn they suffer bad luck themselves. They're scrappy, able to subsist off little. Some ideas for different tribes could be those under Hobgoblin rule have more endurance, those that live around the edges of other cultures are able to blend in better and disguise their goblinoid heritage, and those that live in more civilized lands have learned to keep quiet and observe everything which gives them some leverage they can use to survive and improve their lot when opportunities arise.
Just some ideas. I'm not sure if they'd fit through.
The raptereans, are they like the aarakocra from DND5e or more like harpies?
If you want to lean into the Egyptian themes, you could have the Pharosi revere those that have more animalistic features and believe that they have certain traits or blessings from their gods. Perhaps the raptereans are seen as servants of an evil deity or demon, hence why they were driven out. I dunno, just spitballing. Might be easier to hop on a Discord call or something than trying to hash it out in text.
I think the vignettes could be a cool idea. It'd certainly help us get into character.
EDIT: Found some old files from an attempt at world building. Feel free to steal to your heart's content.
P8 works for me also - think the P6 campaign I'm in works, but we're at the upper limit (and beyond) and some of our progression seems stymied at mite.
Looked at races - my preference of Gnoll looks good, mulling the optional traits and how they would fit with character concepts - lots of ideas lol. Taking a great deal of inspiration from this Gnoll art by Bryan Syme. Love the bone armour :)
On Story Feats vs Story Traits - I went with the latter as some can be awarded to the group, while others are personalised. Feats feel more "landmark" achievements while Traits can be dripped in (and customised) with an emphasis on flavour with some standalone crunch, rather than Feats that tend to be more crunch (and tree) orientated.
Regardless the setting is awesome and separate vignettes that ultimately converge sounds a great way of us all developing PCs and finding their "voice".
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I think Goblins would be pretty distinct from the Hobgoblins culturally - they would have no interest for Zul-Zad and likely view the Hobgoblins as insane in their intense cult-like behavior. There would be separate societies of goblins that have escaped Hobgoblin rule (or possibly be descended from Goblins who fled the mountains near a century ago when this fervent worship started to manifest and the culture shifted dramatically). Hobgoblins routinely hunt them down to capture them.
Thinking on it, I think it'd be interesting if Goblins made up a good portion of the slave trade in general, commonly seen throughout the cities working under the thumb of multiple races. Kind of a twist on how in many settings its the "goodly/civilized" races that get enslaved by the "bad/monster" races, but here we have the opposite.
On the slave trade in general, it is something that has slowly begun eroding within the river civilizations as society has begun to shift in earnest away from the Pharaohs and into this new cosmopolitan society of self-realized destinies. More people are starting to question the existence of it, though there is still much business going on within that market. The Pharosi were practiced masters in their original homeland and carried it across to Rekkar-Sarrat, but actually engaged in it less as there were less peoples to subjugate easily. The Shuka were too defiant and too magically gifted, the Raptearan too...winged (lol), and they Pharosi were more keen on assimilating the Nomadi (they tended to show more respect to other Humans). There were some Pharaohs who did enslave certain groups of the Nomadi historically, however.
There was a servant caste among the Pharosi that formed after the conquest of Rekkar-Sarrat, when the pickings were slim for other people to subjugate. There had always been a labor class, but the servant caste ended up being below them, as laborers could still own property and, but the servant class could not and were pretty much incapable of rising above their station. When Pharaohs went to war with one another, the victor would sometimes make slaves of the conquered, but usually they preferred to simply absorb them...though nobles or labor class might have found themselves in a lower class under their new ruler.
Many of the humans in the slave trade now are there because of debt or criminality. Criminals are usually made into slaves instead of imprisoned, as Pharosi generally view being a slave as the worst kind of punishment. Sometimes such slaves earn their freedom if their offenses were slight, but egregious transgressors are usually branded and serve for like. Servitude is also an approved way to pay off debts, monetary or not. Other slaves, human and otherwise are foreign, brought in on boats from lands afar.
As I'm thinking more on it, yeah, I think Goblins really fit a niche for the large group that makes up the slave market. Bridges the gap for the Hobgoblins being involved so much in the slave trade, creates more of a world role for Goblins (being a race oppressed on multiple fronts with their own separate societies that could variably live in fear, be defiant independents, or folk that seek alliances with others for protection). Also promotes some fun opportunities for Goblin freedom fighters and the like. I could even see some Goblins being friendly with the Gosana as the Halflings are pretty adamant about liberty and freedom and detest slavery.
Rapterean are very much like Aven in Magic: The Gathering lore if you are familiar. Here's some examples.
Interestingly, the Pharosi gods are all actually in the Pharosi image (with 2 exceptions being Sebtek and Ulksu who are represented as a sort of demon figure and a crocodilian figure, respectively). This is by design as the Pharosi are very haughty, proud, and (especially at the time of their invasion) truly believe themselves to be better than all others - be they other peoples or animals. The Rapterean were driven out simply for being Rapterean. The Pharosi were not good guys, lol.
However they have changed a lot since then. Pharosi in general are now accommodating and accepting, and most won't bat an eye at a Rapterean, Hobgoblin, or Orc walking down their streets (or maybe they would, but more out of interest).
I think kind of a background, subconscious theme that I started to infuse this setting with was that of cultural evolution through diversity. The Pharosi began has tyrannical, ethnocentric subjugators that have fundamentally morphed their society, worldview, and culture through the introduction and inclusion of other peoples and cultures. Where once they viewed themselves as superior and absolute, they now as a culture understand the benefits of other peoples and cultures melding with their own. It was others that cracked the regime of the Pharaohs and brought open trade, it was others that paved the way for this entire idea of self-made fates. Living lives of opportunity is possible because of the integration of others into their lands.
That is just to point out that the Pharosi of today are not the Pharosi of 1000 or 2000 years ago. They've come a long way.
Looked at races - my preference of Gnoll looks good, mulling the optional traits and how they would fit with character concepts - lots of ideas lol. Taking a great deal of inspiration from this Gnoll art by Bryan Syme. Love the bone armour :)
On Story Feats vs Story Traits - I went with the latter as some can be awarded to the group, while others are personalised. Feats feel more "landmark" achievements while Traits can be dripped in (and customised) with an emphasis on flavour with some standalone crunch, rather than Feats that tend to be more crunch (and tree) orientated.
Fair points on the traits v feats. I think once character concepts and sheets start coming together I'll be better able to weigh what to dole out (or let the PCs pick existing traits, or whatever). Intend to have a good bit of back and forth with everyone once things start to take shape in regards to their characters, so additional traits are like to manifest out of our dialogues as well. I aim to be receptive and cooperative when it comes to it.
Glad you're finding the Gnolls a fit. Once you have an idea of origin I may or may not have secret lore for you, depending.
That is interesting, and I wasn't thinking of this as good-guys vs. bad-guys. It's pretty clear that there's a lot of room for murkiness and morally gray characters here on both sides of any conflict, though there are clearly some factions that are worse than others.
I like the direction you're thinking about with goblins, and I'm thinking about playing a character based off of an NPC in the game that I'm running that's currently on hiatus. (Stress from previous job and a desire to make things work well combined to just burn me out.) Basic idea is that she'd be an unwanted child and seen as mostly useless, scrapping by and surviving however she can, but I've also done a lot of characters like that, so maybe not.
I still like the idea of a merchant princess playing vigilante or thief at night, but still want to brainstorm some other ideas besides those two.
Another idea I had was orc gladiator. That could be fun, but it wasn't clear if those kinds of blood sports exist in this world.
Still mulling things over, though.
I am thinking of a gnome artist sorcerer from a strongly business based family who isn’t terribly pleased with their artistic child who isn’t interested in carrying on the family business.
That’s kind of the overarching idea while the specifics to be drilled in later, assuming that basic idea works, GM.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Gladiators are definitely present. There are fighting pits in many cities along the river and they are very popular among the Pharosi. Some fighters are slaves, but there are also those who voluntarily enter as it is a solid way to earn fame, reputation, and coin for a freeman. Often those who go into the arenas by choice might enter an arrangement on contract with a sponsor (might be a slavemaster, might be someone else invested in the enterprise of the pits..there are those who have rosters of contracted fighters and whose whole business is fielding them, earning money off of bets and a percentage of winnings, depending on the contract. Having a sponsor can be beneficial as it can usually get a fighter better fights, more 'advertising', and generally more money since they usually share profits in some capacity with the sponsor). Spectators love strange or foreign fighters, so an Orc would find themself a popular fighter.
That would definitely work, Gerald. Gnomes are heavily involved both in business and the arts, and are some of the more prevalent arcane casters in the region.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I've been revisiting the Fall of Civilizations episodes on civilizations in the Middle East, and one of the things I was reminded of was how Sumerian, Akkadian, and Assyrian religions seemed to work. There are the gods that many of them revere and then you have some gods that are specific to a city. For example, Marduk for Babylon and Ashur for the first capital of Assyria. I was thinking that maybe one of the peoples in Rekkar-Sarrat could have a similar belief system. The Dwahani might make the most sense here, but the Pharosi could also have a melding of ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian religious beliefs.
As just an example of what I'm talking about, say we have a people that are tied to the rivers in a land like Mesopotamia. Their main concerns are the rains, the rivers flooding (but not too much), hydraulic engineering, the sun, and water in general. They might have gods of the harvest, fertility, rain/weather, mountains (where the rivers come), the rivers, the sun, and the dry lands beyond the flood plains. On top of those gods that everyone worships, there could be gods specific to the cities, so you'd have a god in each city that is the patron god of that city and dwells in that city. You could even have some of the more universal gods be patrons of certain cities. So a city on the coast might have the god of the sea as their patron god while one at the confluence of two rivers might have the gods of both rivers (or all three depending on how you count each branch of the river network) be patrons of the city.
Just some food for thought. I'm not even sure this fits in with what you have in mind for the world. It does, however, open up some interesting possibilities for adventures. Imagine a god of a ruined city seeking revenge on the city or kingdom that sacked his home and killed all of his people and worshippers and what he might ask the PCs to do in pursuit of that vengeance.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Pharosi cities did indeed have patron deities throughout the Age of Pharaohs. Many still do now as well but it is more of a novelty in the current day as society has become much more integrated. In general individual Pharosi usually have a deity they revere in particular, while also paying lip service to the Rhaonic Three of Rhaos, Hycos, and Estra. In the southern regions of the river, many of the Pharosi and Nomadi that live there are involved in stranger nature cults and often venerate the god Ulksu who has a lot of similarities with the Ssorisk deity 'The Marsh King' and those settlements are more serious about their patron. The Pharosi clerical caste is currently seeking to strengthen its power base as the waning power of the Pharaohs has also impacted their own authority.
As for religion itself (and I may have mentioned this somewhere, if not in this thread than in the House Rules page on the drive), it functions more similarly to the real world than a standard high fantasy realm. That is to say, deities are not entities that are known or proven to exist, and their worship is very much faith-based. Clerics, Paladins, Oracles, etc get their powers, visions and inexplicable things occur, but deities themselves are not beings in the world living on a plane in the multiverse acting in any direct way. This is kind of just a personal preference of mine in fitting with a more grounded/less world-magical setting without an axial alignment system.
Once I finish up the last of the race stuff I'll probably move onto the religion pages next to fill out more info there.
On that note, I've finished the Hobgoblin and Testudin pages and also started adding some pictures to the race pages' physical description sections (only a couple done so far. Trying to pin down artist credits for each image I use just for my own satisfaction). Also started adding notes to the Weapon/Weapon Group pages for the weapon stats and explanation. I'm going to add a Goblin page and write out the Rapterean next and that will round out the native races of southern Sarkonda. I'll be adding info to the final set of races as well but as these are the foreign/visitor races they won't be getting as large of entries.
Ah, right. I remember that part now.
Guess I was mixing up some worldbuilding of my own in here. :P
When you get everything sort of ready, GM, let me know as I’ve got the basic background. Just need to put in some world specific names and areas and I’ll start working on my gnome.
Sounds good Gerald. I'm not sure what you are thinking bloodline wise but I'll work on getting some sorcerer info up soon to peruse. I intend most classes to have some setting-flavored options; archetypes or class feature options (rage powers and the like).
Anyone can also feel free to shoot me a PM or do a spoiler tag post with anything character related if you want to start some dialogue. I know I don't have much location info up and stuff but if you have ideas for XYZ I can at least provide context or feedback from my mental database for now. I also want to get a map up soon...I have an old map but I want to redraw it, though i need to figure out the best way to get one in a postable form. I usually hand-draw my world maps on huge sheets of drafting vellum.
Some random things to mention/elaborate:
If you've looked through the racial features you might have noticed some references to Desiccation Damage/Spells. This is a new damage type borne out of spells and effects that drain or rip the moisture out of a creature. There will be a repertoire of Desiccation spells and some other abilities dotted around the class roster. Desiccation damages most creatures; doubly so against oozes, plants, water subtype creatures, and aquatic humanoids and half damage to earth subtype creatures. Undead creatures and constructs are immune (mostly, there might be a couple of individual creatures who can be damaged by it).
XP: Undecided between milestone and awarding XP. The old-school in me prefers awarding XP, and I think it might be better for a sandboxy game without a definitive A-B-C story arc where PCs might not even always necessarily be together. Any feedback/opinions here is welcome.
More Players: I don't have a set number of people I am looking for. I'm partial to people I've played with before (obvious!), or people that they have played with before. Not opposed to starting a Recruitment thread eventually but if you all know any players who would be a good fit and be open for another game, let me know. Ideally folks who would be interested in leaning heavily into the character-driven stories and RP aspects and not so big into min-maxing and the like. (I think one of my biggest TTRPG pet peeves is level dips for mechanics that make no sense from a RP perspective, lol).
Had a touch of a busy week but I should have some more Drive updates this weekend.
Sounds a plan WS - will get some ideas on my Gnoll up and get the conversation going.
On XP - As you know I'm awarding XP in Night Below and while I worried it would be too slow a progression its giving me a nice gauger on where everyone is and also gives me the flex to plug in encounters and story-based quests in the sand-box that is Haranshire.
Regards the party sizing - I guess its also how we cover all the roles that you need us to. Am more than happy to tweak my Gnoll to that end also.
Sorry for the radio silence. I've been busy getting my game back up and running here on the boards. Almost ready for things to get going again, just as soon as I figure out where the baddies need to go on the map and make a few tokens for them.
I still like the idea of a half-orc/orc gladiatrix, but not sure if that's what I want to go with.
No worries! There's really no rush. I haven't gotten much done myself this week with writing.
In regards to party roles, I'd say play whatever you want first and foremost. However things shake out, there will be a world of NPCs for hire, recruitment, or other alliances. So different types of support and gap filling will generally be available.
Quick question on adventurers in the setting WS - will be party be a motley crew who fall into (mis)adventure or a group of individuals assembled by a patron for a specific purpose? Do "adventuring companies" per say exist?
Just trying to get my head round who these guys will ultimately become :)
Really depends on you all and what choices you make. Aiming to make this a very Player-driven narrative. There will be plot hooks and quests for this and that abound and background storylines you can be a part of, but ultimately your decisions, ambitions, goals, and interactions will carve the path of where go and what you become. You'll be the captains of the ship, I'm just the ocean.
That said, lorewise there are certainly adventuring companies, more so now than there ever have been. The dawning Age of Gold has pushed a lot of guilds, businesses, mercantile families, and the like to prominence, and where before city guards or the armies of Pharaohs would see to troubles or tasks, many of these entities of growing power are making use of adventuring companies for such things. This new Age has also brought a renaissance of exploration and there are many folk who are embarking on expeditions to the surrounding lands either on their own accord or at the behest of their patrons. Goals here are myriad - find new trade routes, new resources, new peoples, uncover ancient artifacts, or otherwise map out unknown territory.
The classic motley crews exist as well - the weakening aristocracy has really muddied the waters of society and there are certainly problems arising that at one time would have been dealt with more efficiently by a more regulated system of governance. Beasts and monsters go unhunted, marauding humanoids uncontested, criminal gangs and ne'er do wells uninvestigated. The fragmentation of power has left a lot of holes and aspiring Merchant Princes or ambitious Priestesses looking to gather more power and influence are quick to shove gold in the hands of unaffiliated mercenaries to make problems go away.
I'm mentally and narratively prepared for a campaign that evolves in any direction. Urban intrigue, exploration of the surrounding lands, traveling mercs for hire. I just intend for personal character ambitions and goals to be the threads that tie the game together. But of course, feel free to discuss if there's a certain avenue you guys all want to follow in terms of a campaign theme so that no one's left feeling out. I'll work to tie everyone's wants and goals into the game regardless, and will be sure to provide opportunities to allow for everyone to hit their personal ambitions, skillsets, etc.
I've been gravitating towards a concept. I think I'm going to be playing a bard, but still debating on if I want her to be a daughter of nobility or a well-off family or if I want her to be more lowly in origin. Kinda drifting towards the latter, I think.
I'm assuming we're starting at level one since we're doing P8, right?
The high-class idea is that she'd be looking for excitement to relieve the boredom that she's feeling being trained as nothing more than a pawn in the political games her family engages in. She acts like a proper young lady most of the time, but sneaks out to see what's outside the walls of her family's estate.
The lower-class idea is that she's a young songstress that's learned to defend herself and is looking to get by. She'd probably had some suitors or people looking to keep her in their employ, or take her for her own.
Yep, we will start at level 1, probably with a few little boons thrown in.
Either direction would work well. There's definitely cities where the political game is hot and there are definitely many places where slums and poverty are abundant. Though the region is undergoing a transformation that allows for greater opportunities, there are definitely those who are being left behind as society is becoming something new. (There's some social friction going on as well where some are Pharaoh loyalists who think that life was actually better, or fairer, or more stable under the complete rule of the god-kings and seek to elevate them back to their full power. Depends on the region though).
Haven't got too much work done on the Drive lately, my apologies. I have 6 weeks to find a new job so that's been eating at my time and mental fortitude. I'm on a government contract that ends at the end of September and my company is pretty much not going to have a spot for me to transition to so I've been in the completely unfun search mode. Hope to get some more stuff written this weekend, though.
Yikes! Praying for you and yours. Hope you find a new job soon. No worries on the game while you sort that out.
Thanks for the background information, all the same, though. I think I'm going to go with the lower class idea. Debating on if she's from one of the races of the region or if she's from some far off land, or perhaps her mother was. Is there an equivalent to the Eurasian Steppe, India, Southeast Asia, or China in this world?
I’m fine with waiting until you are ready, GM. Thoughts to you.
My eye surgery I had last month is prpfressing slower than I had hoped so I’m still far from 100%!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Thanks guys. I had a promising interview today so hopefully something comes of it!
Thanks for the background information, all the same, though. I think I'm going to go with the lower class idea. Debating on if she's from one of the races of the region or if she's from some far off land, or perhaps her mother was. Is there an equivalent to the Eurasian Steppe, India, Southeast Asia, or China in this world?
There is a series of islands off the coast of central Sarkonda (the regions we are in are in southern Sarkonda) called Xeng Qui that is inspired by the pirates of the South China Sea. They are ruled by pirate warlords and are known for their prowling of the seas and trade routes and raiding of vessels. They also do business in Rekkar-Sarrat and are one of the more common foreign Humans found there. Rekkar-Sarrat, especially those areas where the Pharaohs are weakest, is something of a haven for pirates and the like, at least in that they won't be held accountable for any crimes in the open seas (unless they crossed a Pharosi Merchant Lord or some such). They are known for smuggling and more "black market" goods, and exotic goods from their homeland as well as other far off places they pirate. The warlords and captains and other wealthier Quians are easily spotted in the settlements of Rekkar-Sarrat by their flamboyant or loud clothing, their strong and exotic perfumes, and their outlandishly oiled and styled hairdos and/or beards/mustaches.
One of the mountainous islands of Xeng Qui is home to the Lanpei (sharing their name with the island). The Quian warlords conquered the entire chain but could not ever subjugate the defensible Lanpei, and they maintain their independence. The Lanpei are generally more honorable and disciplined than the Quians and are renowned mercenaries. They interestingly are often in the service of the Quians as the Lanpei rather enjoy taking their gold and constantly reminding them that they were never able to conquer their island. Lanpei thus can also be seen in Rekkar-Sarrat, and some who get out of their contracts (perhaps if their tenure ends, or those who hired them die or the like), might stick around and offer their services to the locals.
Hmm, a Lanpei dancer could be fun.
Thanks for the rundown. I think I have a fairly solid idea of what I want to play now.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Lanpei are loosely inspired by Taiwanese indigenous people such as the Seediq, Taroko, and Atayal. They are mountain-born and bred, accustomed to extreme elevation. They have a high red blood cell count that gives them an improved innate stamina and endurance and they tend to be athletic and have a disciplined warrior and mercenary culture. They practice meditation and martial arts in mountaintop pagodas. As they have become more familiar with the wider world, some non-mercenaries have also begun exploring as traveling mystics or ascetics. Some Lanpei who were exiled from the home or who left due to some dishonor have resettled to places such as Rekkar-Sarrat as well.
Lanpei are known for their intricate tattoos, often on their faces and hands. Their tattoos have deep, cultural significance, and Lanpei earn epithets or honorifics that are based on their tattoos. Sometimes the personification of their tattoo even usurps the Lanpei's original personal identity to a degree. For example, during the olden wars with Xeng Qui, a Lanpei warrior killed three powerful Quian warlords over the course of a single battle, and was honored with a tattoo of three stylized monstrous faces on his own face to represent the three warlords. He became forever known in Lanpei culture as "Three-Faced Lord of Kehala", and his true name was eventually forgotten. Most Lanpei tattoos of identity carry such a moniker.