The Nameless Undead's page

Most of you here probably don't know me, but I joined the forums about a year ago to run a game for a friend. Most of the game was ready, but then things happened, she vanished before I could even get a recruitment up, and I left the forums for what I thought was forever.

I haven't had the opportunity to really play Pathfinder with people in-person recently, so I figured I would give this another shot. I'm usually a forever GM, but I want to give being a player a try for once. I'll probably try to co-GM with someone here as well so I can get more used to the forum and meet new people. New friends are always nice to make and, if I get to make them while gaming, all the better!

So a little about me: I've got almost twenty years worth of tabletop experience. I started playing shortly after I picked up the 3.0 Monster Manual because I liked the art and it became something of a hobby for me. When I say it became something of a hobby, I mean I have two bookshelves full of RPG books, have spent hundreds of hours immersing myself and others into fantasy worlds, bought the RPG Maker system just so I could construct maps for my games that looked like something out of a Playstation JRPG, and used to host several games for my circle of friends.

As a GM, I like doing creative things. There's about a dozen or so homebrew settings laying about that I feel particularly proud of. Here are two examples, one of which is my oldest setting and the other of which is my newest.

- Tales of Azure was my first real homebrew and it was a setting that featured a floating continent where humans lived in grand magitech cities, serpentine dragons swam through the 'sea' of clouds below, and the world below held the mutated remains of those who Leytwisted, who were mortals twisted into monsters by a ruptured leyline. It was a grand setting where PCs were part of the Azure Corps, a SeeD-like organization where students received an education and did work for the various kingdoms of the setting in hopes of being granted Class One Citizenship. Looking back on it, it very much seems like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Trails of Cold Steel had a baby.

- My most recent setting I have been working on doesn't have a name yet, something I plan on fixing soon. I tried mixing high fantasy with dark fantasy and ended up with a world where the gods died in a war with Lovecraftian beings from beyond reality. The world is scarred by the conflict and the corpses of gods and Void Titans alike litter the world. The grand city-states of the setting are ruled by the Undying Ones, the former high priests of the slain gods that have transitioned into undeath. Necromancy is commonplace in the setting and the flesh, blood, and bones of the dead gods are highly treasured. The glowing crimson blood of the dead gods turns people into beings beyond mortality, while the golden bones of the same are used to craft arms and armor of exceptional potency. Heroes exist in this setting and often venture into the Sepulchral Lands to harvest the corpses of gods and oppose the agents of the Void Titans, who are not dead, but dreaming. Life is hard in this setting and the wastelands are filled with predators grown fat on divine flesh and blood, to say nothing of the tithes that the Undying Ones extract from their subjects. The best way that I can describe the setting without taking up a lot more space is "Dark Sun, but high fantasy with necromancy motifs and an infatuation with the Scarred Lands".

As a player, I like high-concept games. They don't have to be complex, but they do need that special dash of 'something special' for me to really want to play. I have ran most APs before and am not interested in most of them as a result unless someone really goes crazy with changing the concept behind it.

I'd like to point out that I am crazy about third-party stuff and I hope that GMs will be a little more accepting of things like Psionics, Path of War, Spheres, or what have you.

And that about wraps up my (re)introduction. Hopefully I will get to game with some of you!

Any rules discussions or non-gameplay related topics go here.

Any rules discussions or non-gameplay related topics go here.

As you walk the silent streets of the city of Yula, once the crown jewel of the kingdom of Astaria, you and your companions take in the forlorn sights. The city, once a bustling kingdom filled with people from every nation in the world, is now as cold and lifeless as a tombstone. The hanging lanterns lining the streets no longer glow with their comforting lights and the lovely buildings that once stood as wonders of classical architecture now molder and collapse.

Years ago, the exact number of which you have lost count, Yula flourished in the shadow of Castle Ember. The eccentric King Brennin and his wife, the lovely and kindhearted Queen Brigid, poured their heart and soul into the city and it showed. The two were loved by most of their citizens and statues to them were raised throughout the city. It seemed like the kingdom of Astaria was entering a new golden age, but fate had other plans.

After the queen gave birth for the first time, bringing her daughter Ceidwen into the world, she began to sicken. Hundreds upon hundreds of citizens in Yula sent Queen Brigid gifts in hopes of raising her spirits and the more pious packed the pews at the local cathedral, praying for their queen's recovery. It seemed for a time that she was recovering, but then news spread that she was with child again. She gave birth to her second child, a son named Caddell, and grew so infirm that she retreated from the public eye entirely, her endlessly devoted husband following suit. It wasn't too long after that when the hell that is the Endless Summer began.

In Astaria, there exists the great Cycle, wherein kings and queens die and are reborn, their energies helping to revitalize the land and the people within it. During the Summer, when the Liyume King reigns, the land is vibrant and full of life and light. During the Winter, when the Erya Queen reigns, the land is dark and the land decays. During the transitional periods, known as Spring and Autumn, the reigning regent would wither and fade before sacrificing themselves to the Hearth's Flame, the source of all life, letting their chosen heir rise as king or queen in service to the remaining monarch until their own sacrifice.

No one knows what caused the Endless Summer, although many suspect that it was caused by the Queen's tragic death, but regardless of cause, the Cycle has ground to a halt. A few weeks after the Queen's death, the dead began to rise and a wave of madness tore through the population of Astaria. Those who 'died' did not rest and instead rose as undead monsters. Only a few thousand managed to survive the initial devastation, but those that did have suffered over the intervening years. The light and life of the Endless Summer are warped things. When the sun is out, light seems to shine in ways that is slightly off, just enough to be disturbing. Life runs rampant and true death is impossible, as the dead rise through life energies that seem to be tainted by the touch of the Primordial Void.

The survivors of the wave of horror that was the beginning of the Endless Summer ended up gravitating to the farmlands around the Yula Lighthouse, where there is food and relative safety. The specters that wander the streets of Yula at night and the predatory undead alike all stay away from the light cast by Guiding Flame of the First King, nestled in the brazier atop the Lighthouse.

You have lived in the community surrounding the Lighthouse for years, clinging to what little remains of your former life or trying to carve out a new one in the little community known as Sanctuary. A few weeks ago, the Guiding Flame of the First King began to fade and the terrors of Yula began to close in. Day by day, the line between safety and agonizing 'death' drew closer and closer. All hope seemed lost until a mysterious undead appeared. He asked for you and a few others by name. He told you of the broken nature of the Cycle and asked for your help in fixing it. The threads of your destiny, he claimed, were not yet frayed beyond repair and you held the power to bring an end to the Endless Summer and correct the imbalance of nature. He was met by scoffs and jeers from some of the villagers, who asked him to prove that he was something more than a madman. When he ascended the Lighthouse and rekindled the Flame atop the Lighthouse, all remained silent. The undead, who refused to give his name, told you that you must journey to the Vitreous Wood and seek the Fey Queen Maeve in order to learn how this world may be saved. After he finished explaining, he bade the fires of the Guiding Flame to leap up and suffuse you, reversing any Corruption you may have gained and returning you to your mortal form, something he called a parting gift to you. He then left, slowly walking out of Sanctuary.

So now, a few days later, you and your comrades have begun your long journey through the Lower City of Yula. There is little doubt that your quest will take you all across the lands of Astaria and the dangers you face are myriad, but what choice do you have? In a world where even death does not offer any respite, the only option is to push forward and hope for the best.

I have been trying to get a lengthy bit of setting information up under the Campaign Information Tab and I keep getting a 'Backtracking Error' when I try to post. Is this a problem with the maximum post count or is it an issue with taking too long to type?

Is there a maximum character count on posts and, if so, what is it?

Thanks in advance for any information you could give me on this.

Post here if you have any questions about rules or just want to shoot the bull while you wait on the game to progress.

Potential players and interested parties may post here to track the campaign.