[Edit: Campaign web site is here: http://bia.niilo.ca/]

Hi everyone,

I've finally started something I've been wanting to do for a while now: I've begun* a table-top role-playing campaign using the Fall from Heaven setting. I don't think it'll go for 17 years, but I'm hoping to get a lot of mileage out of it.

* By 'begun' I mean I've roped in some willing (and, frankly, talented) role-players to agree to the campaign. Today we got as far as rolling up stats for the characters.

Now I am tasked with scouring this forum for all the historical tidbits that Kael has tossed our way, as I'd like to use as much of it as I can. I'm asking for help a bit prematurely, since I haven't yet started my search, but if you know of any posts that give historical details, please let me know.

Oh, and if anyone has any plot/adventure ideas that would work in this setting, feel free to send them my way.

CivFanatics Research Results

The number indicates the importance level I've given the information in relation to my campaign (1 being highest, 3 lowest)

1 Religion and Gods
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=159362
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4701988

1 Corruption of Angels and Aspects of Creation
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4429254&postcount=6

1 Arawn, Death Magic, and Laroth's plans
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4480754&postcount=60
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6230604&postcount=12
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6230906&postcount=19

1 Varn, Laroth, and the shadowed vale
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=5471929&postcount=5

1 Amurites and Caswallawns
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4618825&postcount=67

1 Astronomy and Calendar
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4976438&postcount=83

1 The Luonnotar
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4380941&postcount=400

1 Ljosalfar/Svartalfar
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=5986622&postcount=23

1 Erebus as the Vault of Oghma, Octopus Overlords, Elf Sub-Races
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=3962170

1 Bannor/Orcs and the Fall of Bhall
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=5651754&postcount=5088

2 Languages of Erebus
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6111505&postcount=11

2 Danalin's Tale
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=5170865&postcount=5

2 Vampires and Sunlight
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4087436&postcount=52

2 Varn, Talia, Baron Duin
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4624877&postcount=78

2 Discussion of Vaults, Hells and Bhall
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4786290&postcount=27
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4436253&postcount=10

2 Archangels
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=5218889#post5218889
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=5172532&postcount=7

2 What Are Demons
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4436720&postcount=12

2 Perpentach, Dain, and Valledia
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6221676&postcount=2

3 Kael's Campaign Worlds
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4972273&postcount=34

3 On Alignment and Worship
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=4889293#post4889293

3 Erebus is Flat
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4967449

3 Underground Agriculture
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=4083543&postcount=8

3 Mana chart
http://forums.civfanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=148716&d=1172369959

3 Stigmata on the Unborn
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=6246282&postcount=525

3 Trivia Thread:
Q - Danalin is dreaming, having nightmares. Who is he dreaming about?
A - Hemah

Ah, and here I was hoping you were going to do play by post here. ;)

I'm asking for help a bit prematurely, since I haven't yet started my search, but if you know of any posts that give historical details, please let me know.Someone awhile ago wanted to find these bits and wiki them, not sure how much they got.

Anyway, dunno if this helps, it's mostly listed elsewhere, but it's a project I had going that sort of stalled.
161864

And here's a bonus short story about Varn and Chalid meeting:

The dazzling morning light filled the Astrakein tent. Chalid awoke to see his brother’s silhouette holding open the tent flap. “Wake up little rabbit,” Ashrad said, “father has returned!” Chalid bounded from his mat with a hop, stumbling to keep up with his older brother. They dashed between the adults trying to get the work of the camp done despite the enthusiasm of the chief’s sons. Ashrad led him to the center of the oasis, around tents, under camels, and over smoldering cook-fires.
Suddenly he stopped in front of the elder’s tent, and Chalid slammed into him. Both boys fell to the ground, and in moments were shoving and punching. Ashrad ended up on top and was about to make his brother eat another mouthful of sand when their father emerged from the elder’s tent and lifted them from the ground, one in each hand. “Ashrad! I told you to fetch your brother, not kill your brother! Our guest will need lots of rest to recover, and if you two pups make such racket, what peace can his sleep bring?” He set the boys down and Chalid asked the obvious question.
“Who’s in the tent, father?”
“When we returned from the port Lodente we found a… man at the edge of the savannah. He was blind and alone, speaking to himself to no end. We brought him here to care to. Hospitality is what we owe to all wanderers, my son, never forget that.”
“Even to an enemy?” The voice was soft and weak, unlike the voice of any man of Chalid’s tribe, not the deep confident voice of father and the adult men or even the swaggering young men he and Ashrad tried to copy. But the stranger stood above their father as he stepped from the tent. A light white robe was held about his shoulders, hiding his pale skin from the harsh desert sun.
Chalid was transfixed by the sight of him, even as father insisted he return to rest. “I find the desert air such a tonic, I was compelled to find and thank my host, and the doctor told me you had just stepped out—why, hello there.”
Chalid held the stranger’s hand in his and he studied it intently. “What are you?” he asked.
His father blushed, “Forgive him, sir, he is young and ill-mannered.”
The visitor smiled and picked up Chalid. “Do not apologize. I imagine you don’t see very many elves, especially when at this tender age.”
Ashrad glowered. “You’re not an elf, you’re a Dark Elf!”
“This is true. I am Varn Gosam, and am Svartalfar. But you have shown me kindness, and I promise to only return the favor. By Lugus the Light, I shall remain a servant among you.” Chalid squinted up at the Elf’s face, wreathed in the desert sun.

There was nothing in all directions but the reflection of the sun upon the sand, and the tracks of their camels behind them. Chalid called ahead to Varn Gosam, “Do you even know where we are?”
Varn Gosam shook his head. “No, but I do not need to. Lugus leads us onward.”
Chalid scowled. “I hope he knows the way back as well.”
“What was that?”
“Nevermind. When father bid me accompany you, I do not think he knew you were chasing after our ancestors.”
“Lugus is more than the Astrakein tribe’s progenitor, my friend. Just what more… I do not know yet. Besides, it is good for you to separate from your family for awhile.”
“Why? My family is my duty and my honor, Varn.”
Varn Gosam sighed. “Maybe that is so. Maybe jealousy does not attend to you as it did Kel. Maybe pride does not tempt your brother as it did me. I have lived among you five years and still I see through the eyes of the Winter Court. But I fear when Ashrad inherits—wait, I think we are near. There!”
Together they trotted to the near oasis. Fresh water, clean and pure, bubbled up and fed wild date and fig trees. A pair of sand lions lay on the grass by the pool, but did not disturb the Malakim travelers. Chalid watched silently as Varn Gosam dismounted and drank from the water, then waded into the pond. He floated under the sun above. On the still water the reflection of the sun shone back, and glowed ever brighter as Varn Gosam meditated. Or was it… Chalid squinted. It was indeed his mentor who was shining, and soon brighter than the sun itself. Chalid could not turn his eyes away, but he was not blinded.
Many hours past, and not until the sun fell below the trees did Varn Goasm’s radiance fade. He emerged from the pool to find Chalid waiting silently. “Come, I have much to teach you.”

Don't forget to post good stories that come up.

Sweet! Thanks, Nikis-Knight.

My plan is to host a wiki for my RPG group so that, as we further develop our Erebus, we can keep track of it all. I'm allowing the players significant artistic license in helping to develop the world along with me. I like to write, so I hope to have a campaign log published on the same wiki. If it happens, I'll certainly let you know.

Its a huge world so their are plenty of different campaigns that can be run. Personally I prefer campaigns that have a lot of conflict but don't force the players to participate in it. You may want to consider:

1. Citizens/soldiers of a Bannor outpost city that lies up against the spread of hell. Adventures could surrounds forays over the border into the hell twisted terrain, battling creaturs that come from those lands, the tempatations of hell, and encounters with the infernal and the mercurians.

2. Life as Lanun merchant pirates traveling from port to port between the cities of various empires. Games of political intrigue, thievery and swashbuckling between empires. The Overlords could be a new religion to the world, and its spread could present the with wild premonitions and fanatical advesary's culminating with the transformation of the various powerful political friends of the players across the empires as brainwashed overlord puppets.

3. A Malakim disciple of the Empyrean and his companions have traveled to a remote corner of their empire to pray at the Mirror of Heaven. During this the player see's Tebryn and the effects of the Armageddon he is about to unleash on the world. Rushing back the party tells the Empyrean of their vision and is sent out as diplomats to tell the other empire leaders about what they saw (with the adventures that happen along the way).

The important part of this one is that the party be allowed to select what empires they want to go to. The Empyrean will send messengers to all the empires but most will ignore such a message, focusing instead on their local problems. The arrival of the actual prophet will carry much more weight. In each of the countries the leaders have local issues to deal with, some of which may pit one empire against another and force the players to take sides which could ultimatly effect relations with these leaders.

4. The travels of an Amurite adept in his apprenticeship up until his trials in the cave of ancestors. Early games spent gathering monster parts and herbs from wild locations and later games filled with spellcasting in the spheres he opts to learn.


As a special bonus you could select a main character from each campaign (a fighter from the bannor campaign, rogue from the lanun, cleric form the malakim and the mage from the amurite) and play each game consequtivly. Each player would have a character in each campaign but the plan would be to have these characters meets (and campaigns intersect) down the road and have each player take over his main character in the final party.

Assume that they come together when the armageddon spells really start to happen. At that point they get together for the "real" campaign and four storyarcs above are really nothing more than character setup. But all four occur in the same world and you can try to keep them fairly in the same timeline so the players may be effected by the same events, and groups traveling a far distance may be skipped for a sessions or two and end up in the final locations.

Those are great ideas. Thanks, Kael!

I just spent my whole evening (at now, early morning), going over old issues at www.roleplayingtips.com - what a great site for GM-ing ideas.

Good luck Niilo. This looks cool.

Assume that they come together when the armageddon spells really start to happen. At that point they get together for the "real" campaign and four storyarcs above are really nothing more than character setup.

Oh my god, I want you to be my (dungeon) master!
Such great ideas, I've got to do something like this for my Shadowrun group.

A way I would like to do it, similar to Kael, run one campaign, like an extended prelude, set at the very end of the Age of Ice. A lot of important stuff is happening around that time that could be explored, especially regarding the Amurites post Kylorin (who leads when he leaves?), the Doviello (what will be the reaction of a beaten wolf when new prey shows up?), the Bannor/Orcs, and then the many civs that are being founded &/or reborn.

Then run another plot after a couple months of playtime, maybe, set 3-4 generations later with some of the religion/armaggeddon plots. Show either how the players actions are shaping the future (through their descendents, actual or spirtual, or institutions they helped protect/found.) or else how their long-term goals are again in danger or such.

I would weave a common thread through the four setup campaigns to provide motivation for the main one. You want players coming out of those with grudges, ambitions, goals, etc that propel them in the same direction so that banding together is more than a matter of convenience.

And perhaps you might also have a fifth setup where the party does not survive, just to show the players you mean business. You might bring characters back from this party as antagonists in the main campaign. Or to be rescued, avenged, raised, etc.

Thanks for the ideas, everyone.

I've got to take things one step at a time, though. The simpler, the better. I don't want to burn out, and I'm not yet sure if the players will like what I and the setting have to offer. So, to start, we're just getting the characters together with common thread, with a few basic adventures to start off with. Of course, I'll be tying some overall campaign story arc into the first adventure, assuming that we continue with it.

Before even deciding on FfH as a setting, we got together to discuss what we wanted to play. We went with D&D 3.5, since it's fairly simple and we are all familiar with it. The setting was open to more discussion, though we went with FfH because of the great potential, because of my general knowledge of what source material there is, and, frankly, because of my exuberance for it. Then we needed to decided when the campaign would start. I was interested in starting from the beginning of the Age of Renewal, just like with this Civ mod (and as Nikis-Knight suggested). However, one player wasn't too interested in the idea - he's more keen on playing in a world that has established civilizations with intermingled races. So we moved ahead a century or two. A want to accommodate as much of their desires as I can, of course.

I feel a lot of ideas brewing in my head, and add each one that you guys share with me. But I can't put myself before the wheelbarrow, so to speak - getting things rolling is the first order of business.

Our first play session is next Sunday :crazyeye:

I'd recommend Burning Wheel for a great RPG that allows for, or is designed to have players be the center of the game.

...beyond that I came across some other RPG that had many of the names of the tribes of FFH as some type of something... I think they were types of angels and demons or something. It made me chuckle.

I'd recommend Burning Wheel for a great RPG that allows for, or is designed to have players be the center of the game.

...beyond that I came across some other RPG that had many of the names of the tribes of FFH as some type of something... I think they were types of angels and demons or something. It made me chuckle.

It was probably In Nomine, I have actually never played In Nomine and didn't know about their angel/demon names until some people pointed it out to me after FfH was released but we both got our names from the same source. Most of the Civ names are choirs of angels or fallen angels in Judeo-Chrisitan mythology.

Have fun Nillo! Remember that we don't even conform to my D&D campaigns if it makes the mod less fun so don't feel pressed to stick to the mod if you and your players want to change something to make it more fun for you. Stay loose and let the players help make the game (which it sounds like you are already doing).

in nomine, probably.
(btw, new RPG webcomic: http://www.feartheboot.com/comic )

@ Nikis-Knight -about the short story- Varn Gosam is definately not a Svartalfar. He may have looked like a Dark Elf, but he was a "Once Elf," a descendant of some elves taken to the Shadowed Vale as prisoners by a dark wizard before the elven nation split in twain.

Elven servants of Arawn fled his domain into the Shadowed Vale, a valley kept perpetually in darkness by a thick mist that obscured the border between the Vale and Creation. In the 15rd year of the 4th age, a young Auric Ulvin and his companions were trapped in the vale and accused of stealing from the elves. Varn, a prince of the elves, believed Ulvin's denials, although his fellow elves did not. When Varn tried to sneak them out of the vale, his brother caught them and an elven warband was sent to catch and kill the companions. Well, rereading this, I think it is more than likely that you are right, though I don't know where you get the part about the wizard? Anyway, these death elves would be much closer cluturally to Svartalfar than to Ljos., living in perpetual darkness and all, and I think it is possible to suggest that the shadowed vale was absorbed as some sort of border region into the svartalfar kingdom sometime in the AoI.

edit: Ah, I don't know if I ever saw that post vorshlumpf quoted. (I miss the dog avatar, by the way). The old FfH1 thread just moved too fast for me to keep up with. Bear in mind it was preliminary info, but I'll change my Malakim info to reflect this if it bears out as the Empyrean is added and all that good stuff. :)

Do you have a source for that, MagisterCultuum?
One source (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=3962170) says this:
"Varn (the leader of the Malakim, a civ in phase 2) comes from a group of elves that were slaves of a cruel angel of Arawn in the underworld. Biologically they are elves but are very different from the rest of the elves in the world."

By the way, I'm done doing research for now. I'll add my results to the first post in this thread. If you know of anything that I missed, please let me know.

So, here is my attempt to convert the gods and their spheres to D&D 3e rules. Ultimately, I would make some new domains to match the FfH spheres, but I'm just keeping it as simple as I can for now. I have lots of time to fiddle if this game takes off.

Anything with an * is something that doesn't quite fit and may need changing/tweaking. As always, if anyone wants to make suggestions, feel free.

Here are the god descriptions for easy reference:
The Good Gods
Lugus - Angel of Light (Sun), god of the dawn, god of guardians, the everwatchful. Worshipped by The Empyrean
Sirona - Angel of Wisdom (Spirit)
Nantosuelta - Angel of Faith (Enchantment), who restored Sucellus to life
Sucellus - Angel of Growth (Life), killed by Mulcurn and reborn, Sucellus was the Angel of Nature before he died but became the Angel of Life when he was reborn. Previously, Dagda was both the Angel of Life and Death.
Amathaon - Angel of Fertility (Creation)
Junil - Angel of Justice (Law), worshipped by the Order

The Neutral Gods
Kilmorph - Angel of the Earth (Earth), worshipped by the Runes of Kilmorph
Oghma - Angel of Knowledge (Metamagic)
Cernunnos - Angel of Nature (Nature), worshipped by the Fellowship of Leaves, Cernunnos was the father of Forests and one of Sucellus's greatest subordinates until he died. When Sucellus was reborn he gifted his authority over nature to Cernunnos.
Arawn - Angel of Death (Death), Arawn is almost completly uninterested in what is happening in the world as his attention is on the underworld. He ignores what few worshippers he has.
Dagda - Angel of Balance (Force)
Tali - Angel of the Air (Air)
Danalin - Angel of the Water (Water), worshipped indirectly by the Octopus Overlords (Danalin is sleeping and his nightmares are being influenced by Hastur and other demons under Mammon's control)

The Evil Gods
Camulos - Angel of War (Chaos). Those that venerate Camulos don't comply to any organizational structure that anyone can understand. There are hundreds of factions and they are just as likely to fight each other as they are to fight other groups.
Aeron - Angel of Hate (Body), spirit of rage, god of the berserkers
Ceridwen - Angel of the Stars (Dimensional), who first brought magic to man. Worshipped by the Emrys
Mammon - Angel of Greed (Mind). Worshipped by the Stewards of Inequity.
Esus - Angel of Deception (Shadow), sacred to thieves and liars. Worshipped by the Council of Esus
Mulcarn - Angel of Ice (Winter), killed by Kyorlin with the Godslayer. Worshipped by the White Hand
Agares - Angel of the Night (Entropy), the greatest of angels, worshipped by the Ashen Veil
Bhall - Angel of Fire (Fire), who fell at the end of the Age of Magic

FfH Spheres

Priest Spheres
Junil - Fire, Law, Life, Spirit
Kilmorph - Body, Earth, Enchantment, Life
Cernunnos - Life, Nature (druid)
Danalin - Body, Chaos, Mind, Water
Agares - Entropy, Fire

All Spheres
Air, Body, Chaos, Death, Dimensional, Earth, Enchantment, Entropy, Fire, Law, Life, Mind, Nature, Spirit, Water, Sun, Creation, Metamagic, Force, Shadow, Winter

D&D Domains

Air, Animal, Chaos, Death, Destruction, Earth, Evil, Fire, Good, Healing, Knowledge, Law, Luck, Magic, Plant, Protection, Strength, Sun, Travel, Trickery, War, Water

FfH <-> D&D

Air - Air
Body - Strength
Chaos - Chaos
Creation - Plant*, Animal*
Death - Death
Dimensional - Travel
Earth - Earth
Enchantment - War*, Luck*
Entropy - Destruction
Fire - Fire
Force - Protection
Law - Law
Life - Healing
Metamagic - Magic
Mind - Knowledge*
Nature - Animal, Plant
Shadow - Trickery
Spirit - Good*, Luck*
Sun - Sun
Water - Water
Winter -

D&D Domains by FfH God

If any domains are in bold, the priest must choose one of these for his first domain.

In-Game Gods
Junil - Law, Fire, Healing, War*
Kilmorph - Strength, Earth, War*, Healing
Cernunnos - Healing, Animal, Plant, Air*, Earth*, Fire*, Water*
Danalin - Strength, Chaos, Knowledge*, Water
Agares - Destruction, Fire, Knowledge*, Chaos*

Other Gods
Lugus - Sun, Fire, Protection
Sirona - Knowledge, Good*, Luck*, Healing
Nantosuelta - War*, Good*, Luck*
Sucellus - Healing, Plant*, Animal*, Strength*
Amathaon - Plant*, Animal*, Sun*, Protection*

Arawn - Death
Oghma - Magic, Knowledge, ...
Dagda - Protection/Destruction, Good/Evil, Law/Chaos
Tali - Air, Protection*, Travel*

Camulos - Chaos, War, Destruction
Aeron - Strength, Protection*, Destruction*
Ceridwen - Travel, Chaos, Evil*
Mammon - Knowledge*, Trickery, Luck
Esus - Trickery, Chaos, Luck
Mulcarn - Evil*, ...
Bhall - Fire, Strength*, War*

Kael said it before, but I forget where. He also mentioned that when Varn and his people left the Vale they took with them a book of magic left behind by said wizard, which including such things as how he discovered he could live forever by consuming his own soul. This book was later used to create the first Sidar. In addition to this, he said that the blue angel in Rathus Demora's civilopedia entry, while originally a servant of Arawn, the neutral god of death, had left his master's service and was in league with this evil wizard. He wanted Rathus to slay the strongest heroes in Erebus so that their could could be used to build him an army.

FWIW, In Nomine is pretty good :)

That's what its was! I keep getting that confused with Nobilis, because I've played neither and they both start with Ns...

One last request from everyone (for now, as I rush to get many details at least started by the weekend): Any ideas on Elohim society? The characters will be starting in the kingdom of Elohim. Two will be brothers from a minor noble house. I'm trying to come up with some basic details for Elohim nobility. I kind of figure that nobility was originally loosely structured, as the nation developed around the order of the Elohim who went around helping those who needed it.

I'd imagine them as a mixture between LOTR rivendale elves, and early British medievals.

The Elohim are the protectors of the sacred places of the world. They are less structured than most human empires in that their monasteries, villages and rare palaces are scattered around the world not a part of one contiguous country. The elves, Lanun and dwarves are actually like this as well (although as you can imagine this is hard to represent in FfH).

There are occasional Elohim cities, usually close to some holy area. The Bannor are resposible for guarding evil areas of the world, the Elohim protect the good. There are rarely powerful areas (unlike those in the Bannor's charge) and they prefer to erase all knowledge of an area (outside of their own scholars) rather than drawing attention to it by building huge forts and post guards around it (the Bannor reaction).

The Elohim prize contemplation and passive arts like poetry and caligraphy. Their nobility can come in 3 variations, either the artistic who are usually poets but could also be dancers or painters, the scholars who are philosophers and researchers, and the military who practice purification of the mind and body. All branches prize honor and trust, they are the keepers of secrets and their trust isn't easily gained. Nobility is gifted to those that accomplish great feats (usually including the blessing of some angel or god more than a military victory) so nearly all nobles have an ancestor they revere and the stories they strive to uphold.

In keeping with their secrecy aspect they wouldn't like anything that was to overstated. Characters weilding big viscious weapons wouldn't fit in. Robes and staves are common. A swordsman wouldn't often have his sword on him, though you can expect they would be trained with some sort of unarmed fighting style, possibly enough to disarm an attacker.

Of course all of this is influenced by their religious beliefs at the time (historically they worship Sirona).

Specific to your scenario, you may want to consider an Elohim hero from a few generations back to be the one that earned the nobility. The legend of that ancestor may make an interesting hook for adventures.

Im not sure how big you want their starting city to be. You could go with a remote village which could be about anywhere. A farm village that provides food to a more significant Elohim location wouldn't even have to be around a holy site. Anything larger than that would probably have a history of some sort, a tree that always stays in bloom, a fissure left over from the godswar, a graveyard where an angel was killed and buried.

Awesome info, Kael. I had several great ideas, linked to already-existing campaign ideas, pop into my head while reading it.
It's going to be a lot more fun starting with the Elohim now :)

I suppose they have a sizable 'kingdom' somewhere that houses one or several major historical sites, considering Ethne's history (she's a princess - becomes a queen). Around Cahir Abbey...

And we all know how they deal with werewolves--public voting followed by nightly hangings!

:lol: Yeah, Foxford already has all its NPC's provided.

If it wouldn't be too difficult, could you post a link to Lorda history.
Who is he and why he hates Calabim?

So it looks like we'll be starting off with one Elohim nobleman, one Elohim monk, and one dwarven priest of Kilmorph. I definitely look forward to seeing how the groups develops.

Aww, no Leaves? Thats my favorate religion...
Anyways, good luck with the campaign. And keep us updated.

You know I was just going to make a question about this when I found this topic. Its good to catch up on the historical stuff in the campaign setting that the Civopedia doesn't have written in. I'm a DM myself and wanted to adopt this setting it looked really fun. ^^

So it looks like we'll be starting off with one Elohim nobleman, one Elohim monk, and one dwarven priest of Kilmorph. I definitely look forward to seeing how the groups develops.

All will be destroyed by a Calabim Brujah...:P

So my modest campaign has started. Things are looking good so far. If you are interested in checking out our campaign web site, it is at http://bia.niilo.ca

I'd like to share with you something I put together for one of the characters. We needed an explanation for his dwarf's sudden promotion to clerical status after many years of self-exile. I used it as an opportunity to tie in another player's background - he's part of an isolated Elohim noble family who is protecting a sacred site.

Anyway, let me know what you think.

****************************

It was a blustery and gloomy day. A day where most people stayed indoors if they had any choice in the matter. The smithy was undisturbed by visitors because of this, which made it a perfect day to work. And that made it all the more frustrating that Barak could not seem to get anything done. From problems with his forge to difficulties folding steel, it seemed that the stars were aligned against any sort of productivity this day. Finally, when the handle of his best hammer shattered during one thunderous hit, Barak decided it was time to get away before he wound up burning the whole place down (either by accident or on purpose).

Without knowing where he'd go, Barak grabbed his coat and stomped out the door, irritation still threatening to overcome his thoughts. The sharp wind served to cool him down mentally as well as physically, and he soon found his gaze looking north. His eyes traced the familiar outline of the Angel Spire Mountains, and he soon found his feet marching toward the welcoming sight.

Memories flooded back to him as his legs worked of their own accord. Thoughts of Deep Well flitted through his mind, as well as his departure from his dwarven home, his spectacular introduction to the Ibrahim's, and his many years spent pursing whatever purpose Kilmorph had in store for him. The memory of that fateful, first look at Mordecai was in his head again when he found himself stumbling upon a small ravine that sliced into the side of the hill. A quick look back showed him that he had been walking for some time - he was up in the foothills with a good view of the hamlet of Valentia, as well as the Ibrahim manor which was directly down slope of him.

For some reason, this ravine perked his interest and he crouched at its lip to examine its interior. His dwarven blood came to the fore as he analysed the rock formations, deciding immediately that some significant event such as an earth tremor created this small crack in the hills as opposed to the gradual erosion caused by some long-dead stream. This thought process, probably mundane for anyone other than a dwarf, was very calming for Barak and gave his mind some respite from the more serious thoughts that plagued him on his walk.

After a deep breath he straightened so that he could move on, but as he turned his head he thought he noticed something odd. He looked back down the ravine, but couldn't see it. He turned his head again, this time more slowly, and his astute dwarven eyes again noticed an oddity at the bottom edge. Now knowing where to focus, Barak examined the stone-work with renewed interest, this time shuffling side to side to change the angle of his view. Despite his heritage, it still took some time for him to realise that there was actually a small opening in the ravine wall. Somehow the break was formed in such a way that it blended naturally with either side, making it almost impossible to see from this only vantage point. In all his years, above ground and below it, he hadn't seen anything like it.

The path down was treacherous at best, but nothing could stop him from desiring a closer look. Huffing and puffing, Barak slowly made his way to the bottom and stood squarely in front of this slit in the rock wall. There was room enough for him to fit and so he stepped within. This entrance, as it were, angled back towards the south, the direction of his descent, before switching sharply into the heart of the hill beyond his sight. Darkness quickly consumed him, and he paused while his dwarven eyes naturally adjusted. His hands traced the walls out of habit and not through a desire for support since he was quite comfortable in this environment. As he walked on he noticed two things: the walls became more uniform and smooth, and the floor was descending at about a 10% decline.

As his mind raced with possible explanations for this stone-work, he lost track of time. It didn't seem very long, however, before he could see a light up ahead. As he approached, he recognised the source of the light to be fluorescent underground lichen, and they seemed to be concentrated in a small, naturally occurring room. There was heat and moisture in the air, as well as signature stalagmites and stalactites. Barak weaved his way through the room, on a path apparently worn in the ground, and nearly fell to his knees at the most spectacular site ever to grace his eyes.

A mere two strides in front of him sat what could be best described as an eruption of pure, shining metal. It appeared to pour up from the heart of Erebus itself, and it widened before stopping at his waste height. In fact, with its flat surface, it looked almost like an anvil. But this was not any normal metal, which was obvious even in this light - the colour was unmistakable to any dwarf worth their stones. This was pure mithril, an amount together that he had never before witnessed.

With his breath caught in his chest and heart pounding, Barak slowly approached, his one hand extended. The first tentative touch, as if confirming its existence to his mind, was exhilarating, and this time he did drop to his knees. He ran his palm along the top, the surface betraying no signs of use, but something told him that it had felt the strike of the hammer innumerable times.

Barak then did the only thing that made sense. He prayed. As his words to Kilmorph rumbled amongst the stalagmites and stalactites, many images flashed through his mind - images that he didn't summon himself. And it would be many hours before he moved from his spot.

* * * * * *

There is a legend amongst the dwarves that originates from the long-ago Age of Dragons. It is one of those legends that are so ancient, and so embellished, that even the firmest of believers has moments of doubt as to its veracity. It tells of a humble dwarf blacksmith, Aral, who's name appropriately meant Forge Heart. His talent with the blackened hammer was unrivalled in the region, but he remained with his small, isolated clan and merrily forged mundane items in his modest smithy.

One day his entire clan was wiped out when a titan of Camulos stumbled upon their quaint dwellings. Aral, through luck or fate, barely survived. In a feverish stupor, he fled the scene and the days passed. Just as his will to live was almost completely snuffed out, a pair of booted feet greeted his gaze while he rested on hands and knees. He looked up to see a legend first-hand: the peerless Bambur.

Bambur brought Aral back to health, and then guided the young blacksmith into the underdark. It was there that Bambur gave him his charge. Kilmorph's children were frequently imperilled in this time of the Godswar, and they needed every advantage they could get to defend themselves. Bambur was to teach Aral the finer arts of weaponsmithing, and Aral would become a source of great and magical weapons. Aral questioned where this training and work would be done, and the response wasn't from Bambur but from ground itself. A vein of pure mithril pushed through the ground and formed in front of his eyes into a perfect anvil for his height. Nearby, the ground fissured and heat washed over him as lava and flames poured up just barely below the floor's surface.

Bambur smiled and said simply, "We must begin."

And so Aral worked for his many long years, arming his brethren and their allies with the finest weaponry ever to grace Erebus. There he worked, in Kilmorph's Forge.

Lost forever during the Age of Magic, the Forge has many legends surrounding its purpose and existence. Each legend, though, agrees on one point: in a time of great need, Kilmorph will fan the flames once more and a steady hand will be chosen to resume Aral's work.

I like the story :) Meeting with Bambur is a great tie to his past and a great spiritual event for a dwarf.

There is a bit of a continuity error (not that its particuarly important that your game match the FfH timeline) in that the dwarves didn't exist int he Age of Dragons. They were created as a new race by the actions of Kheldon Ki early in the Age of Magic. But again, not a big deal.

Yeah, I was wondering about that. It would be a minor change for me to correct that. That's part of the reason I posted it here.

Thanks for the feedback.

There's something else that I'd like critical eyes to look over. It's a short post introducing someone who will likely be a major antagonist in the campaign. I'm trying to capture the Bannor/Order culture without gravitating too much toward other published sources (such as the Children of the Light in the Wheel of Time series).

* * * *

As the guard swung the door open for him, the Inquisitor strode forward into the office, his white robe flowing with the movement. He stopped halfway to the Precept's desk and pushed back his gold-trimmed hood with both hands.

"Inquisitor Jolan," Precept Petras said as he quickly stood from his chair. "You were not expected this soon."

The Bannor commander of Helmshaven circled his desk to descend to one knee before the Inquisitor, bowing his head, his right fist pressed against his heart. The grey-haired priest of the Order took a moment to look over the commander and survey the room, as if measuring the worth of both.

"It was Junil's will that brought me here at this time, Precept," he said, patronizingly. "Rise."

As Petras steadily regained his full stature, Jolan walked idly to the single window in the room to gaze out over the country-side. The silence was broken by the commander's voice.

"What word from Torrolerial, Inquisitor? I heard of some trouble involving your niece's arrangement."

"She has seen the light," Jolan responded, his tone more conversational. "It is not uncommon for youth to be afraid of their assigned role in society. I hope to return in time for the ceremony, but only if I finish my work here." At that last, his voice became sombre. "I am but a tool in Junil's service, of course.

"You must tell me everything about this goblin attack. But, first, I must know of any signs of cult activity in your area. Purging the veiled ones has become increasingly more difficult throughout the Empire." Jolan swung his steely gaze to the Precept, communicating with his hard stare alone that this information was not to be shared. He straightened his body and clasped both hands behind his back. "There are worries that our tentative hold on this area is more susceptible to such barbarism. The Sanctum Council is not yet ready to commit more troops south of the mountains, not while another war with the Clan is imminent. So they have sent me."

Those last words hung heavy in the air, causing even the veteran Precept to feel a chill in his spine.

"Do not spare anything," the Inquisitor said, once again turning to the window. From this position in the Bannor fortress, he could see above the trees to the southeast, the hamlet of Valentia barely visible in the distance. "Begin," his voice paused for a moment, "With that village."

The important thing to remember in regards to the Order is the heavy adherance to laws. These could take the form of cermonies, use of lots of titles, and a very structured life which leaves little personal flavor in the individual. An ideal member of the Order is a perfect automaton, following the commands of his superiors without deviation. If he is of any merit he should have a title that is always used when addressing him, his accomadations and bearing should be emaculate, and he should be predictable for those that know him.

The interesting thing about an antagonist in the Order is their personal feelings will have little to do with their role. They could be a compassionate person still leading a genocide against a population as he has been ordered. Or he could be an incrediably sadistic individual charged with securing a peaceful farm village. In both cases the people will operate with percision and emotionless pursuit of their task.

Also for the Order there are three main factions. The Oathtakers (military branch who enforce the laws), Confessors (who are the legal arm of the Order) and the Diviners (who are the Spiritual force).

Kudos to you for doing this. I've been considering running a Ffh-based campaign with my group. We're running Forgotten Realms right now (tip the hat to Kael for the brilliant holy symbol rips), but it'd be nice to run in a world so wonderfully dark and far more accessible than Forgotten Realms. So maybe this thread will provide me with what I need as well. Thanks for doing all the dirty work. heh

Kudos to you for doing this. I've been considering running a Ffh-based campaign with my group. We're running Forgotten Realms right now (tip the hat to Kael for the brilliant holy symbol rips), but it'd be nice to run in a world so wonderfully dark and far more accessible than Forgotten Realms. So maybe this thread will provide me with what I need as well. Thanks for doing all the dirty work. heh

Im actually a huge fan of Stephanie Law, who did those symbols for the forgoteen realm dieties. I've been a fan of hers for a long time and Ive corresponded with her a few times, she incrediably nice.

I dont get much chance to use her work in the mod since its largely watercolor and has a definite style which doesn't match the rest of the art. But the 21 spehere diagram has an angel in each corner, those are all from Stephanie.

Good stuff, both of them. But I think you may be leaning a wee bit too close to the WH4K Inquisitors in that last text - I kind of couldn't help but hear Exterminatus in my head.

I agree with Kael's automaton description, and it is fitting for the Bannor as well, but in a slightly different way. They are hard men (and women) in hard times (more than almost any other nation, they are constantly on the front lines of battle), so very little would faze them, even direct orders to do something heinous. Anything to further the cause.

Is WH4K War Hammer?

My intention with Jolan is that he is devoted to rooting out and destroying the Ashen Veil. That is his standing order, as it were. He leaves no rock unturned in tracking them down. And "collateral damage" resulting from such work is just par for the course.

And always dubious of any non-Order cults....
"as they do not follow the order, purest of purest faith, we cannot say that in their heart they are not tainted by the veil... Kill them all !! GOD and Junil will save the righteous !! The chance to kill a tainted veil follower is always worth the death of some of those half-hearted followers of Kilmorph, if they really are what they claim!!!"

I love that : rote in heaven !!! more chaos brought by the order than by AV ... (out of demon summoning :D)

WH40K stands for Warhammer 40 000 were inquisition is on 40k scale :)

"Blessed is the mind too small for doubt!"

and other quotas might bring you in the right mood if you play DoW [warhammer 40k RTS]

"Xeno, alien....Heretic!" -> "Elf? Dwarf?....Heretic!" ;)

Warhammer 40K is about as dark as it gets, all right. Darker even than FfH, because even the good guys are bad guys.

Warhammer 40K is about as dark as it gets, all right. Darker even than FfH, because even the good guys are bad guys.

You mean that FfH has good guys?
Bannor are blind fanatics:whipped: , Mercurians postal angels:ar15: , Elohim are-holier-than-thou:old: ,Luchuirp like the armageddon:bump: , Kuriotates are plotting against each other:backstab: , and Malakim, umm... well, they aren't a real civ:egypt:

luchuiorp like armageddon ??
no, they are able to survive the next one... but they do not like it ...
...
Khazad are good guys !!!! they are neutral just because they don't ever want to be involved with other's civ politics !!! but they are nice guys... to the bone... if you excuse their little lunacy every time you speak the 4 letter word... you know G.O.L.D ...chhht don't tell it aloud ....

oh, and you forgot the ljos.. they are nice too ... in fact, most neutral people (+the luchuirp and malakim) can be considered good peoples...

neither evil, neither blind due to their own rightness

So why they don't like it?
Golems->no lost living units
AC 70->Mithril Golem
Mud Golems->fastest workers after blight
-> Excellent way to get rid of your enemies
They don't want to bring it but they strategically don't mind if it comes

Khazad wannaget gold, they don't care much for other things, if u r too poor to live, then u can die, i'm not gonna give you any of my gold (Cassiel's 'pedia)
The elves are ready to kill any intruders, not caring whether they are good or evil(Amelanchier's 'pedia)
Amurites use child warriors (the post about the Caswallawns)
Hippus serve anyone who pays enough
Grigori discriminate religions
Lanun steal stuff and some worship the Octopus Overlords (just look at the palace graphic)

yeah ... but
all of those are good guys for me...
"I don't mean you bad, really"
-"it's business" (hippus)
-"you said the 4 letter word !!!" (dwarf) "but if you want medicine or help to go bash your neighbour.. I'm with you"
-"as long as you don't approche my lands" (elf) "sorry, boiled cat hates cold water...no offense intended, it was just a reflexe, all this shinny metal close to our trees..."

amurite is more difficult... "we are nice toward other but hard in the selection of our own masters..." "thus, only the best armed ones can leave the academy, they will not release monster they cannot command" (typically, hemah was not formed by amurites.. he would have died/been killed as a child before being able to launch his dreams...)

lanun : you are right : I cannot come with a good way of seeing them

grigori : for me it is the nicest of all : expression of goodness... They do not discriminate religion : they just don't see any point in it. they are opposed to any influence of religion save beliefs. no part in justice, nor in army, nor in labor, no official religion, no research toward religion. but if religion comes by itself, people are free to believe. They even help the luonnatars...

Actually, the Bannor are hard, but fair. They are not the religious fanatics (the Malakim are closer to that moniker). But they are not squeamish, and if you couple them with the rigid force of the Order, they are indeed guite unforgiving.

yeah ... but
all of those are good guys for me...
"I don't mean you bad, really"
-"it's business" (hippus)
-"you said the 4 letter word !!!" (dwarf) "but if you want medicine or help to go bash your neighbour.. I'm with you"
-"as long as you don't approche my lands" (elf) "sorry, boild cat hates cold water...no offense intended, it was just a reflexe, all this shinny metal close to our trees..."

amurite is more difficult... "we are nice toward other but hard in the selection of our own masters..." "thus, only the best armed ones can leave the academy, they will not release monster they cannot command" (typically, hemah was not formed by amurites.. he would have died/been killed as a child before being able to launch his dreams...)

lanun : you are right : I cannot come with a good way of seeing them

grigori : for me it is the nicest of all : expression of goodness... They do not discriminate religion : they just don't see any point in it. they are opposed to any influence of religion save beliefs. no part in justice, nor in army, nor in labor, no official religion, no research toward religion. but if religion comes by itself, people are free to believe. They even help the luonnatars...

"Good" or Good?
I was a bit harsh on some but
Hippus still don't care. If you are going to be good then surely you can afford to choose your customers. Realpolitik makes complete good impossible for Hippus, but it isn't a full excuse.
Dwarves:"-If you pay enough. We don't do charity."
Elves:"By making an example of what happens to intruders, we can stop the fire." (just before tearing the confessor to bits, is that what good guys do? Realpolitik again)

I share your opinion about the Grigori so that was a bit exaggerating, but they can be seen as that, after all they might just well have anti-religious views amongst the people.

Bannor, of course with the Order, I wasn't talking about alternatives but most-likelies. They burn other people en masse in their campaigns (pillar of fire 'pedia). Unquestioning obedience just doesn't seem "good" to me, it (h)allows too much abuse.

never spoke about bannor..

And I prefer "good" to "Good"

realpolitik seems ok for good people...sometimes.
tearing confessor apart to preserve the forest does not seems bad to me, confessors are not know for their goodness, only for their Goodness. they are not nice peoples, just mass murderers prefering to kill 100innocents than missing an unverified veil worshipper.
for dwarves : being good does not mean doing charity...it means fair prices, helping a dwarve in distress (attacked, not poor!!) it is just the "gold" word that is problematic with them.

hippus : ok, I yield.. they are just following realpolitik...

But for me, the real point of FfH is that while some races/civ can be good and most other are twisted, All religion have there twisted aspect.... none are good ..
order and veil are the worst in their fanatiscisme,
OO with the way of treating peoples.
FoL with the hardness for trepassers
RoK is the mildest one.
CoD is totally insane :)

Runes of Kilmorph is borderline greedy, though.

It wasn't to preserve the woods, but to show what happens to trespassers. And the other people didn't have a much better fate.
Cassiel's entry is the most realistic about the right and wrong of ffh religions.

If the RoK are so good then why they don't do charity? Mammon's an evil god you know. If they think that poor people suck and that's why they are poor, it's the typical survival of the strongest hallowed.

strictly imo, but I disagree that the dark fanstasy of FfH world means good and evil are arbitrary labels. Rather it means that there are no easy choices, who to trust is not clear, even benign orgainizations may be filled with corruption, and the good guys are no more likely to win than tha bad.

But any commoner would much rather be in the Order lands than the veil lands once the armeggeddon starts. Some innocents are certainly judged too quickly, and no one is likely to ask "how are you feeling today?", but their goal is to protect those who can't protect themselves from the forces of Hell. They would be dangerous, insane fanatics, except for one thing--they are right about the danger their foes pose. Perhaps they go way too far--or perhaps they do exactly what they must.
Likewise, the Malakim may view your faith as dangerous sedition to their community, the dwarves may eye your gold pouch, the Elohim may be too busy looking after some shrines to lift a finger when you are attacked, and the elves may view you with a haughty disdain, but compared to living in the lands ruled by the Calabim, the Clan, or the other truely evil leaders, good & evil do have some true meaning.
I should say I don't mean good as in perfect, but on balance a net positive force.( I'm not looking ot sign up with any of these ;))
(There is an alternative view that the calling the Order good is a joke and they are blood thirsty hypocrites, and some of the community-written pedia entries reflect this.)
Edit: I wouldn't call RoK greedy, but I would say there is little emphasis on personal discipline or charity, and they are prone to be apathetic to outsiders. So greed is a temptation they succomb to, a common weakness rather than a philosophy.

RoK is isolationist bordering on callous, certainly. But then again, none of the religions are terribly ecumenical. I guess that's what happens when your gods hate eachother.

I don't think the Order is Evil or bloodthirsty, just inflexible. Like the tax man (although there may be differing opinions on that matter too).

The idea of dark fantasy is that there's no perfect good unlike in light fantasy, no side who always does what's right and the difference of necessary and evil is subtle, very subtle indeed.
The Order is definitely good towards most of their own but they didn't have much mercy on the Lanun citizens.
When someone is inflexible and follows orders without questioning, the system's as good as the boss, who usually ain't so good. Gods sure are a bit different but they are still petty like humans, with the One being the only one who isn't flawed

Funny how big a simple joke made by stereotyping certain empires can get, in just 90 min

Sure, I'll agree to that. I just don't like the "there's no difference" angle, especially when the evil is shown to be so slimy icky bad. ;)

Is slimy icky bad?
Did I ever say there's no difference? I said there's no true good

No, but the Elohim and Grigori come pretty close.

That's true. I think Grigori is neutral only because of political reasons: no clear side in the good-evil battle of gods, and they should have access to public healers.

Yeah, you know Blaze's modmod (which was basically a combination of the most popular modmods from Sureshot, Maniac, etc, with only a few changes of his own) gave them that ability. (That was probably easier to do back when the civics were blocked in python instead of directly having an alignment requirement in xml)

You know, the Grigori and Elohim have a lot in common. Even though the Elohim do take sides in the good versus evil battle, they also won't discriminate against other based on their religion. (Well, they might if that religion were the Ashen Veil. They would probably still have compassion on the misguided souls that follow the religion, but they would oppose the demons at all costs.) Immanuel Logos abandoned his goddess in order to care for the orphans of those slain in the Wars between the Gods in the Age of Dragons, regardless of whatever god they may have followed. He clearly agreed with Cassiel about the effects of the god's wars. (actually though, it seems like his goddess may have agreed too; although she kept on fighting Aeron, she didn't try to stop Immanuel because she knew that humanity needed someone actually helping instead of just fighting in its name. Actually, by leaving the service of the goddess of spirit he seems to be serving her element all the more, perhaps even more than she was)

Good in FfH would be better described as "Anti-Evil." Agares lead his angels into evil, and some of the angels chose tho devote themselves to fighting evil at all costs. I doing so, their fanaticism may have lead them to abandon their original purposes and act in evil ways to combat the greater evil. That even the good gods have aspects of evil in them is the greatest victory of Agares. It is the neutral gods that are still fulfilling their original purpose, thus are probably closer to being what we would think of as good, but even they have probably been corrupted in some ways.

And actually Malakim get relatively close to that also. True, they are fanatics but they are tolerant towards all open religions, ie all but Ashen Veil and Council of Esus.

I'm doing some research on military history to try to get a good feel for Bannor culture (military and otherwise). I found this on Wikipedia:

Roman discipline was severe, with all ranks subject to corporal punishment, even death, at the commander's discretion. If a cohort (a group within a legion) broke in battle the typical punishment was called decimation (from the Latin word for ten). Every tenth soldier, selected by lot, was executed.

Does anyone think this sort of thing doesn't fit with the Bannor? I think it fits. I liken the Bannor to the Spartans a bit, and Spartan deserters were the lowest of the low, because they abandoned their duty to the nation.

No, I think it suits them. My vision of the Bannor is heavily modeled on the Romans, Crusaders and Normans, in no particular order.

Hmmm, I would go further here. It is a fantasy world so we can overexadurate here :) and just make them not to desert. Such strict laws were needed in the Roman empire cause their soldiers were common folk, or ppl they conquered. Bannor are a one self aware 'nation' with 'great'/painful history with binds them together. I would go so far and picture them as a fanatical ppl in the matter of loyalty to the cause. No laws are needed, if they disobey orders or break lines in battle they would punish themselves.

Yup, I see them more like Samurais but without Catanas.

Off course it is your vision of Kaels vision :) so is this topic about visionaries? ;)

Well, the Bannor are kind of my baby, I wrote the 'pedia on them and Sabathiel. So my vision is Kael approved™:D

But yes, I can agree with the fanatical loyalty thing. The Bannor as a people really are the rough and ready heroes of the FfH world, it would make sense that they fight with fanatical determination. After all, they are fighting for their homes and lives most of the time.

Samurai and Knights have a strict honour code - similar to the Order. I picture the Bannor as more like Vikings, fond of battle and unafraid to die. Or the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto, a desperate but noble fight.

Decimation suits the Order down to a "T", though. If you break the Law, you (collectively) MUST be punished.

Their majority is like samurais and norse but there's always the ocassional deserter or someone ready to sell their home to the highest bidder. If it wasn't so there would be no need of laws as everyone abides them anyway.

The early generation would have no need of such punishment--all weak members were lost in hell. Future generations are shaped by stories, rituals, tradition, and drills, effective but not so fool proof as daily life or death struggle. So some will need such measures.

Yeah, my campaign takes place well after the beginning of the Age of Renewal, so the heroic blood is not as strong throughout all Bannor citizenry.

Thanks for the ideas. I'll go with decimation, but those soldiers selected will willingly kill themselves (like the samurai) to preserve some of their honour.

Good read this thread. Keep it up!

Yeah, my campaign takes place well after the beginning of the Age of Renewal, so the heroic blood is not as strong throughout all Bannor citizenry.

Thanks for the ideas. I'll go with decimation, but those soldiers selected will willingly kill themselves (like the samurai) to preserve some of their honour.

How will they kill themselves? Seppuku seems too harsh for just anyone, it might be suitable fo paladins etc. but not the average private.

Yet, that was the way all Romans committed honorable suicide: Fell on their swords (Israelites too, ref. Saul). But perhaps poison is a better way. Or punitive squads?

They didn't cut their stomachs all open and pull the stuff out, like the best of samurais.

Very subtle differences in philosophy, culture and moral ideals are important in D&D, just as much as realpolitik. Nice discussion - I wish I could play D&D myself, but I never got over my own psychological inhibitions of feeling "childish".

The Bannor are militaristic, and have military discipline. The order is a culture of obedience and law. The difference between the two are subtle, but they are seperate and one can easily exist without the other. It's just that the Bannor under The Order is especially dangerous, as even mythic heroes and units will be killed by large contingents of brave, fanatical normal soldiers that won't flinch in the face of disgusting, evil creatures.

What childish is in it?

If you play a proper FfH-like dark fantasy you aren't childish in any way.

Light fantasy is the childish one if any.

Well, I also have a D&D hangup, but not so much childish as enormously time-consuming and ultimately a wee bit geeky. I'm not sure I have the patience for it. Although I love the lore and the options it gives for a wide variety of games.

Me, I'd happily join in such a game, but don't know anyone nearby to play with.

I lately do not have time to play :(

Also I do not see anything childish in it. Some sessions we had were definetly not for children. There are more creepy worlds than dark D&D. Look at any WoD system or Call of Cuthulu if its good roleplayed.

Me, I'd happily join in such a game, but don't know anyone nearby to play with.

I have the same problem too.

A crazy idea: over the net?
With a simple engine allowing relatively long chained orders it might just well work. Simplified dialogue with "ask Einion about Lita and if it has anything to do with Mardero, then go to shop and buy a longsword if it costs less than 20 gold", and combat executed more automatically, allows process even with one order a day -playing. Like PBEM civ, but RPG

I've been involved in PBeM RPGs before, and they are a lot of fun. However, they are worlds apart from face-to-face RPGs. Time moves a lot more slowly, but you get more time to decide on the appropriate actions / reactions for your character's personality. My biggest complaint about FtF gaming is that I'm not a "quick on my feet" role-player, so I do or say things with my character that doesn't really fit their personality. Of course, being a DM increases that anxiety ten-fold... :crazyeye:

It's all a balance, though. Nobody can be perfect (I keep telling myself).

I'd like to run a PBeM RPG as well, but I need to make sure I'm confident with myself before jumping into that (I don't have enough spare time to fully prepare for my FtF campaign as it is).

As for childishness or geekiness, I say it's neither. Role-playing games are a great hobby that many different types of people partake in. If you have fun doing it, what's the harm? I consider myself a role-playing geek in the sense that 'geek' = 'enthusiast'. Much like I'm a FfH geek, a Taekwon-Do geek, etc.

People who typically call role-player geeks in the derogatory sense ("a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person") do so from a vantage point of ignorance and disdain, and such a comment is no more than trying to minimize/eliminate the pleasure another person gains from such an activity. I find such comments offencive because we should not treat each other that way.

Ahem, after all that, thanks again to everyone for their feedback on my culture question ;) I'll be seeking more of such advice soon.

Of course, being a DM increases that anxiety ten-fold... I did GM a couple of 7th sea games, for my wife and one friend (until that friend sorta disappeared for unrelated reasons.) It was especially tough never having been a player, I think.
I'd be willing to run a FfH Pbp here... but I don't actually own D&D (7th sea and warhammer). But then I don't know if D&D is well suited for pbp anyway...

P.S. I did Taekwon Do in college, it was fun.

I'd be willing to run a FfH Pbp here... but I don't actually own D&D (7th sea and warhammer). But then I don't know if D&D is well suited for pbp anyway...
It can be, just like any rule-set. But the rules take a back seat to the story, which everyone is contributing to collectively with creative writing.

My current FtF campaign is almost a mix of the two (theatrical production and creative writing). I'm encouraging my players to contribute to the campaign website with their writings.

Edit: I've never done PbP, but I can't see it being much different from PBeM.

I'd be very interested in seeing the campaign web site. And I did mean geek in the sense of enthusiast. I consider myself a geek. Just not a D&D geek (I have a way too short attention span:blush:).

PBF [play by forum] is very fun and you really do not have to have the rule books to play. You can think the rules your selfs or just use common sense. I have taken part in games that had no specified rules at all, storytelling all the way.

Unfortunatly my current game waits for me about 4 months now [we play Mage: the Ascescion] on a polish RPG forum :/ I have no time to write the response but the story is very specyfic and each characters story is separate and others do not need me to go on.

If you would like to start to play such game [PBF-RPG] here then you would need a subforum at least.

PBF [play by forum] is very fun and you really do not have to have the rule books to play. You can think the rules your selfs or just use common sense. I have taken part in games that had no specified rules at all, storytelling all the way.
I don't own D&D either so I have created a simplified game system based on common sense and realism, which seems especially well suited for PBF and it might be easier to use than D&D as long as the DM is competent. (the rules are just some 2 pages (big text))

I'd be very interested in seeing the campaign web site.
It's http://bia.niilo.ca/
Since this link has already been buried once, I'll put it on the first post as well.

_Valis;6158800']If you would like to start to play such game [PBF-RPG] here then you would need a subforum at least.

There is a forum games forum here (http://forums.civfanatics.com/forumdisplay.php?f=154)

This place (CFC) has everything!

So is someone interested?

yeah, here!

The play by forum concept reminds me an awful lot of the early NESes. They were fun, until some people started to loose any semblance of control. Although the later NESes were fun too:D

Everyone who wants to play it come here (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=6164641#post6164641)

Here's another story segment for you guys to critique, if you wish. It's introducing the players to the next game session, which will (should) involve a rescue mission, with a side of invasion-foiling.

--------------------------------------

The trail was stale, but the signs were obvious. Kurnlynn, a hunter of over 15 years, was sure that he followed the tracks of two goblins dragging a human body - a human that he hoped was still alive.

And now, finally, after several hours of difficult tracking, it seemed that his quarry decided that they no longer needed to cover their trail. The seasoned tracker redoubled his pace now that he didn't have to spend as much time with his eyes to the ground. He didn't know how long it would be before he would overtake them, but he had no doubt that he would. Two goblins would be no problem for him to handle. But, would he be in time? The last thing Kurnlynn wanted to do was return to Valentia to inform Lord Ibrahim that his son was dead.

It had taken just over two full days for him to even locate any sign of Obed Ibrahim at all. Fortunately, though smart enough to make some effort to hide their passage south, the goblins did not conceal the quarterstaff that the young nobleman had obviously dropped in battle. With that discovery, it was only a matter of time for Kurnlynn to use his honed skills to track them down.

The chill wind assailed him as he broke out of the shelter of woods and into a glade. Pulling his cloak close, he kneeled down for a short rest and to ascertain the direction of his chase. He had been going straight for some time now, and looking ahead he could see the familiar, protruding ridgeline that ran south-east from the lookout locals called, Tranquility Ridge. The goblins likely had a favourite cave that they used to make camp during the day. Then their trail would continue farther south, towards the wilds of the Danaan Forest where their brethren likely numbered in the hundreds. Fortunately, the Valentian hunter wouldn't allow them to get that far.

Daylight was fading, and the overcast sky wouldn't let much of the yesterday's waning full moon shine through to light the night. Kurnlynn quickly sprung up to his feet and resumed his pursuit. It didn't take much for him to follow the signs, as he passed through more forest, over small hillocks, and along minor vales and cliffs. He slowed to a cautious pace once he got near the base of the main ridgeline. He couldn't see any obvious dips or trails on the cliff face, so the anticipated cave was likely near. Though they should still be ahead of him by a day, he wasn't going to risk tripping over the savages recklessly.

The foot of the ridge happened to jut out at this point. Kurnlynn's slow approach now angled away from the tracks he follow, as he surveyed the broken ground and cliff face from the concealment of the trees. Shortly, he was able to see what he was looking for: a narrow opening in the rocky wall. A few moments of carefully scanning the area convinced him that the area was clear and he took quiet, deliberate steps up the slope to the cave entrance. A quick glance within showed the beginning of a twisted passageway, a sign that this cave wouldn't be as simple as some bear den.

The hunter stepped within until darkness enveloped him. He waited breathlessly as his sight adjusted naturally to the diminished light - the blood of his elven mother ensured that any light, no matter how faint, would be picked up by his eyes, allowing him to see normally. Just in case, he patted his belt pouch to assure himself of his flint and steel, for if the cave went very far there wouldn't be any light for even his acute eyes to use.

After a couple of dozen feet, the natural passage widened into what looked like a small, roughly hewn room. His hand traced the wall closest to him to confirm what his eyes saw - that this cave was no longer quite natural. It appeared that someone had gone through great effort to expand the size of this underground hollow, though he had not the skill to guess as to when this was done. And, more disconcerting, there were two passageways that branched off from here: one to his immediate right and one straight ahead.

The decision on which direction to try first was interrupted by footsteps, voices, and a growing light to his right. Kurnlynn quickly bounded forward and hid in the opposite passageway, his longknife automatically drawn. His instincts told him something was not right, for goblins could see in complete darkness and had no need for light.

"No! Cannot! Dawn not good time to attack."

The half-elf wasn't sure what surprised him more, the sight of what appeared to be three robed humans or the frantic goblin following them, speaking in the human tongue of Patrian. The robed individuals seemed intent to leave the cave when the goblin, and two of his brethren, stopped in the middle of the small room.

"Will not attack!" the lead goblin said with an air of finality. The robed people stopped as one, but didn't turn around. The light of the torch that one carried showed off the darkness of their garb, all black with some elements of deep red.

The speaking goblin held aloft a scrolled parchment. "I not follow orders this time. Go back and tell that to your master."

A voice that sent shivers down Kurnlynn's spine rasped slowly and softly from the central robed figure. "You. Have. No. Choice." All three spun on the spot and the hunter couldn't help but shrink further back into the cave. Dark cloth covered their faces - no skin was visible. Even their hands wore dark gloves.

Again the central person spoke. But this time, the words were not clear, if they were words at all. The sound could be best described as oily, as if it tainted your entire body by oozing into your ears. To Kurnlynn's relief, the voice stopped almost as quickly as it started. The robed figure was halfway through a deliberate stride toward the outspoken goblin when another of the short, yellow-skinned folk jumped forward with one hand out and his other hand pulling a vicious morning star from its belt.

"[Stop!]" the apparent bodyguard said in his own tongue, one which Kurnlynn had learned in his youth. "[Stand back fro-]"

The robed figure didn't even pause as he (she? it?) reached out with his own hand to touch the goblin's. On contact, the small humanoid immediately screamed and dropped to the ground, doubling up in pain. A comrade, the third goblin, rushed forward to help but stopped in awe as the skin on the victim's still outstretched hand began to blister, crack, and split. This continued up the madly screeching goblin's arm, to his shoulder, neck, and, eventually, to his head. One eye swelled shut and blood flowed from his ears. A gash opened up on his forehead and travelled back along his scalp just as the horrifying shrieks stopped, the echo throughout the cave dying well after the goblin.

It all happened in little more than a second, but the moment lasted an age for the petrified half-elf concealed in the tunnel. No one else moved either, the two remaining goblins immobilized from shock and the robed figures seemingly lifeless where they stood. Finally, the main robed individual pointed with the same hand toward the wide-eyed goblin that spoke with such cockiness before. The outstretched finger was not directed at the humanoid savage, but at the scroll he still held aloft, forgotten, in one dirty hand.

"Dawn," came the voice, more disconcerting than before. At that, the figure once again turned for the exit and left, the other two joining him as he passed.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It was some time before Kurnlynn, hiding in the dark, could motivate himself to move. The robed people were gone. The goblins were gone. But he was having trouble sorting his thoughts. Or, more accurately, he was having trouble getting his thoughts to break through the image of that goblin being ravaged alive. Eventually, he was able to get a rein on his mind.

What was going on here? There were three goblins when he expected two. And who were those horrible robed people?

Whatever the answers may be, he knew one thing. Lord Ibrahim's son was brought to this cave and he needed to get him out.

Choosing to continue down the passageway that served as his hiding spot, Kurnlynn was even more deliberate with his steps. His enhanced vision was slowly diminishing the farther he went, and one hand glided along the curving tunnel. Just as he was about to pull out his flint, a small amount of light became visible around a bend up ahead. After a moment of study, he calmed his nerves as it seemed to be light from an open fire, not a deliberate light-source. Goblins had to eat, too, afterall.

He snuck ahead, ignoring a couple of side-passages after ensuring they were clear of goblins. The passageway narrowed suddenly, giving him a sudden feeling of claustrophobia, but immediately opened up into a very wide room. At the far end he saw a couple of goblins unexcitedly throwing items into a large stew pot above a fire. Another small passage was directly behind them, but this large room continue off to Kurnlynn's left and out of site. After assuring himself that the goblins were too occupied with their task to notice him on this shadowy side of the room, he slowly moved forward.

He was about to round the corner when he heard more voices, this time speaking goblin. And it wasn't only a few. The half-elf surreptitiously glanced around the rock wall, and almost gasped at what he saw. Dozens of make-shift cots were scattered throughout this underground hall, with enough goblins to fill them. Some were sleeping, some talking or arguing. A few played some sort of game in the corner, accompanied by frequent goblinoid squawks or guffaws.

Kurnlynn pulled back to take a deep breath. The cooking goblins were still engrossed in their chore. He took another look, this time making a more accurate assessment. He counted just over 4 dozen of the filthy savages, and all of warrior stock. No women or children. He didn't know much about goblins, but this had all the makings of a war band.

No longer feeling comfortable in these caves, the hunter slowly backed out the way he came. When he once again came to the intersection, he had to duck back to avoid a couple of goblins pushing a poorly assembled cart from one of the side passages. The half-elf held his breath as he tried to sink back into the rock wall for it didn't matter how dark it was - the goblins' eyes could pick him out even if he was completely covered in shadow. They moved passed him without noticing, though, either due to sheer luck or general inattentiveness. He couldn't help but notice, by smell more than sight, the contents of the cart. From small rodents, to hunks of larger animals, it was filled to the brim with meat of various sorts. The two continued on across the intersection, down a wide tunnel, and stopped before a bend about thirty feet away.

The half-elf thought he heard one goblin ask the other, "[Ready?]" before grabbing a long pole from against the wall. The pole-wielding goblin moved forward and was immediately greeted by vicious growls and snarls. Shouts and commands erupted from both goblins, the former now out of site around the bend as the other threw their gruesome cargo piece by piece into the depths of the cave. His best guess was that they were feeding wolves, but he didn't want to stick around to find out. Kurnlynn used the din to mask any noise he happened to make during a more hasty retreat down the original tunnel and out of the cave.

As he left, his foot kicked an object on the ground that skittered to a stop. Bending down, he found what looked like the scrolled parchment the goblin leader had held earlier. He must have left it here in the aftermath of the robed ones' dramatic exit. Kurnlynn slid it into his belt pouch and hurriedly left the cave into the twilight of the evening.



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Kurnlynn was wasting no time in returning to Valentia. He had a good idea of where he was, and it would likely take him until late into the evening to get back. He had to warn Lord Ibrahim about the goblins and, more importantly, return immediately with more people if they hoped to rescue Lord Obed. He felt guilty that he didn't even get to see the young man, nevermind not extricate him by himself. But nothing would have been gained if he became wolf meat himself.

It was at this moment, while running across an open glade, that something caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. Whether it was intuition or a blessing of Sirona's wisdom, Kurnlynn whirled while simultaneously crouching low. It only took a moment for him to notice the shadow with a pair of red eyes at the edge of the trees. The creature had stopped at the half-elf's sudden drop to the ground, but now slowly and confidently moved straight toward the hunter with its shoulders hunched high. As it came into view, Kurnlynn saw that it resembled a black wolf, aside from the eyes, but it was considerably larger than any the woodsman had seen before. It even dwarfed the war dogs that the Bannor sometimes used, and they were almost 150 pounds!

Fangs were bared in a growl as the creature continued its advance, muscles clearly rippling on its massive body with each deliberate step. Drool dripped from its mouth and its eyes remained focused on its elf-human prey. Kurnlynn didn't believe in his ability to outrun this beast. He didn't enjoy the thought of fighting it, either. However, at this range, if he was quick, he could get a few shots off with his bow. With luck, he could kill it. Without it, maybe he could at least weaken it.

With a practiced move, his longbow was unslung and an arrow pulled to the string. He didn't even have it drawn back before the wolf bolted back into the cover of the trees. The fact that the creature seemed to recognise what he was doing was very unnerving - he had never had an animal respond to him like that before.

There was no sign of the beast now, which unnerved him even more. As long as the clouds didn't cover the moon too much, he could see as well now as any man could see during the day. But he couldn't stay in the middle of this clearing. He had to get back to Valentia.

Walking backwards at first, his bow still out with an arrow drawn, the half-elf eventually turned around and resumed running. This time, fear lengthened his stride and fueled his lungs, as he constantly looked over his shoulder for those two red eyes. He entered the forest once again, and paid no heed to the branches pulling at his cloak and whipping at his face. Kurnlynn's laboured breathing filled his own ears as they strained to hear any noise in the dark. Somehow, his senses failed him, as he had only a split-second to react when a large, dark object hurtled at him over a bush. The half-elf felt a sharp pain as the full weight of the creature's body collided with his, large jaws snapping right next to his ear. He hit the ground and rolled to his hands and knees, his bow still somehow in hand.

He couldn't fire an arrow from the ground, though. He looked up to see the black-furred animal facing him from a dozen feet away, walking sideways while snarling viciously. He pulled out his knife as he got up on his feet into a stooped stance. Those red eyes followed his every movement, an unnatural intelligence behind them assessing its quarry. The Valentian didn't have much time to be disturbed by this, though, as it suddenly leaped at him again. With natural speed enhanced by his elven ancestry, Kurnlynn stuck out his bow. He caught the wolf-beast in the mouth, deflecting its bite, but the sturdy bowstave bent and snapped under the immense weight. The creature still collided with him, claws finding his ribs. As he screamed, the hunter-turned-prey lashed out with his knife and rolled away.

In a daze, Kurnlynn regained his feet and held out his knife. He didn't see the beast right away, but he was sure he could hear it amongst the trees. The half-elf bolted. He took a moment to glance at his longknife, happy to see it covered in blood. Hopefully that wound would slow it down. Alas, such was not the case as again his reflexes saved him from a full-on impact with the beast. He ducked under another leaping charge, this time managing to completely evade the attack. The creature crashed through a small tree and tumbled down a slope. In mid-slide it nimbly regained its feet and immediately turned around to find its prey.

Kurnlynn was already running upslope, though, his legs pumping despite the intense burning in his muscles. He had passed this way while tracking the goblins, and was sure he remembered something about the area. This beast that followed him from the caves seemed unstoppable, so he had only one hope. Fear and determination kept his legs moving, but it wasn't long before he heard crashing behind him. A quick glance back confirmed that it was almost on him, red eyes blazing in the night. The trees opened up in front of him. A small cliff greeted him ahead, but he kept running. Almost there. He was sure he could feel its breath on his neck. He was just about at the ledge. A growl rose in volume behind him as he reached the edge, his own yell piercing the night. And he leaped with all of his remaining strength.

awesome read. any chance you will write a ffh novel some day? ;)

Heh, that would be great, but I'm more of a short-story kind of guy.

Heh, that would be great, but I'm more of a short-story kind of guy.

:) a compilation of short stories might even be better to start with, showing the broadness of FfH :) so, save what you have written for a future day ;)

Well, rereading this, I think it is more than likely that you are right, though I don't know where you get the part about the wizard? Anyway, these death elves would be much closer cluturally to Svartalfar than to Ljos., living in perpetual darkness and all, and I think it is possible to suggest that the shadowed vale was absorbed as some sort of border region into the svartalfar kingdom sometime in the AoI.

edit: Ah, I don't know if I ever saw that post vorshlumpf quoted. (I miss the dog avatar, by the way). The old FfH1 thread just moved too fast for me to keep up with. Bear in mind it was preliminary info, but I'll change my Malakim info to reflect this if it bears out as the Empyrean is added and all that good stuff. :)

I found that Wizard's (well, archmage's) name: Laroth.
The name for the Ljosalfar and Svartalfar are from norse mythology, though they were more inspired by the Seelie and Unseelie courts of Celtic mythology (Nikis-Knight refers to them a lot in his writing as the summer and winter courts which I always liked).

And of course you have some additional FfH schenanigans on top of this. Varn is actually from a line of elves that were taken into the underworld during the Age of Magic (and before the split of the Ljosalfar and the Svartalfar) to serve a powerful archmage who had died and created a new home for himself in the underworld. The archmage (Laroth) brought the elves through to serve him, but he was not a kind lord.

Eventually the elves owerthrew and escaped from Laroths "dungeon" (this dark corner of the underworld) and used a portal they found to enter the shadowed vale, a valley obscured by mist that sat between creation and the underworld. Varns father stayed behind to hold Laroth off as the elves escaped and never ended up coming through the portal.

The elves ended up living in the rift, largely seperate (and ignorant of) the battle between the ljosalfar and the svartalfar. The rift and the underworld were very dark, making them appear more similar to the svartalfar (pale elves who hate the light) but they only share the common ancestery.

Other interesting facts:

1. Haerlond is Varn's older brother and leader of the elves in the vale. The two brothers have taken dramatically different paths and the effect of the time in the underworld and the weight of responsibility of protecting his people wears on the very pragmatic (if not cynical) Haerlond.

2. The elves brought things with them when they escaped. One of those things were books that Lartoh wrote that contained rituals to prolong life and to become an immortal, souless living beings. These books were later used to create the first Sidar.

3. The portal from the vale to the underworld that the elves escaped through is the same portal that Rathus enters in his pedia entry. In that entry the elves in the rift are called "once-elves" and Haerlond is mentioned. The "angel" Rathus meets isnt a servant of Arawn but a servant of Laroth who wants Rathus to kill the powerful in creation so Laroth can collect their spirits in the underworld to build an army.

4. Varn didnt leave the vale on good terms. He was trying to protect a group of kids that found the vale and were being framed for stealing an artifact that the elves had taken from the underworld (the heartstone). One of those kids was the young Auric Ulvin who was just begining to dream of a great white dragon and believe that he was more than just a man. In that escape Auric (who has an incredible but largely uncontrolled affinity for magic) destroyed the mist that seperated the vale from creation, flooding the vale with sunlight that burnt and blinded the elves that had lived for generations without being exposed to it. It was in this light that Varn had his religious ephinany and after leaving the vale (and seeing to the kids safety) he began worshipping Lugas.



Kael's other mention of Laroth strongly suggests that he was was a student of Kyorlin back when Kyorlin was an evil Archmage who still served Ceridwen.

Thanks. My memory isn't as infallible as I pretend.

Yes, that was strongly implied in the same place. Also Gastrius (who ever that is)

(Heh, my edit is faster than your reply. I just read the Bhall thread.)
Nikis-Knight refers to them a lot in his writing as the summer and winter courts which I always likedWell, I did in the dialogue, but I'm sure I wasn't the first.

Thanks for the post-link, MagisterCultuum. Gives me more ideas...

Fantastic reading :D

Vicarious RP, there's nothing quite like it. I'd cast my vote for a by-email or a forum campaign.

It goes without saying that the writing is very good in the story segments. Highly Enjoyable!

Two forum games going now that I Know of.

Both linked in the last line of my Signature

No other FfH forum games. I checked it.

Bumping to request that most of the threads in the first post be moved to the new LORE subforum.

Or just move the whole thread.

FYI, here is the latest cut-scene that I used to get the players into the next game session (which occurred last night). Another Bannor Inquisitor is coming to town...



"Watch the flank!"

The Bannor sergeant's shout made Amin wince as he peeked out from his covered wagon. The halfling merchant swivelled his head toward said direction to see another group of mounted goblins burst forth from the cover of trees. What creature the foul humanoids rode, Amin was unsure, but he hesitated to call the beasts "wolves".

As one, a line of Bannor crossbowmen pivoted toward the new threat and unleashed their latest volley. Amin was thoroughly impressed by these soldiers - their discipline, courage, and skill. But despair was close at hand as he saw the crossbow bolts strike true and have little effect. When a goblin rider was killed, the 'wolf' continue on its own, apparently quite willing to complete its charge without direction. When one of the beasts was hit, it was usually undaunted by the attack and showed no fear of further injury.

Equally unfazed, one rank of pikemen marched several steps in front of their crossbowmen compatriots. Pikes were set and braced against feet just as this new wave of goblin riders reached them. The resulting cacophony made Amin jump despite his anticipation. Snarls and the snapping of fangs were as plentiful as pained yelps. Pike shafts splintered under the immense weight of the charging beasts. Steel met steel as those goblins still alive swung their vicious morning stars against their armoured adversaries.

But the Bannor line held. Pikemen and crossbowmen both immediately switched to secondary weapons and fought side-by-side in the chaotic fray. Though it took two or three soldiers to handle every wolf-beast, they did so in perfect unison. There were men that fell to injury or even death, but the majority survived the vicious assault.

Seeing these Bannor fight so well had Amin blessing his habit of attaching his merchant wagons to their twice-yearly supply trains. He would have no chance against such evil as this if he were on his own, regardless of any mercenaries he could hire - and such expenses would make his trips to Valentia unprofitable. Sure there was a cost to using the Bannor as protection. Some monetary cost - for "procedural adjustments" - but their rules and stipulations as well. And this trip in particular was quite odd, with the mysterious passenger carriage and their insistence on as few travel breaks as possible.

More fighting near the front of the caravan caught Amin's attention. Another wave of goblin riders had swept through the soldiers holding out on that end. The humans left standing prepared themselves for another charge, when yet more of the mounted humanoids poured forth from the trees to join the battle.

Is there no end to the fiends? thought the merchant as the scattered Bannor soldiers rushed to form up their lines.

A robed figure caught his eye, then. The pure white cloth with gold trim was a stark contrast to its surroundings. In small form on the front, and large on the back, was the embroidered shield and blazing sword of Junil, god of Justice. The person within descended from the passenger wagon and calmly approached the soldiers.

So that's the mysterious guest, Amin thought, his days-old curiosity more heightened than satisfied. But who is it? Other than possibly being some priest of the patron god of the Bannor Empire, he didn't know. The halfling could see nothing but cloth - even the figure's hands were tucked within the ample sleeves of each opposite arm.

However, he quickly noticed peculiarities about this person. Though the Bannor people were of typically tall, athletic builds, this person surpassed even the greatest of these soldiers by several inches in height and shoulder girth. The person also walked with a slightly odd gait, though Amin couldn't immediately identify why. This was partially answered when the halfling noticed the presence of what must be a large tail beneath the individual's robe. It swayed with each step and threatened to poke out from beneath its confines.

The mystery deepens, Amin thought, but his heightened curiosity was dissipated with a group battle cry. Almost as one, almost organised as a disciplined unit, the goblins and their beasts charged. The robed figure stood completely still behind the stoic soldiers, as if merely observing the proceedings.

The halfling held his breath as the enemy thundered across the ground. The snarling, shouting mass seemed a huge wave about to crash down upon the shore of Bannor steel. Suddenly, the robed figure's arms shot straight out to the sides, exposing dark green, scaly hands, one clenching a symbol of Junil. A hissing voice accompanied the motion, the God of Justice's name being called upon. A wide sweep of one arm ended the incantation, directed at the charging masses. In sync with the moving hand, dozens of gouts of flame erupted straight up from the ground forming a long line in front of the Bannor defenders. The fires mingled and immediately coalesced into a wall several times higher than any of the soldiers present.

Even at this distance, a wave of heat washed over Amin. He could faintly see through the wall of flame, and he watched the wavy images of goblins and wolf-beasts react. Many tried to pull up, goblins yanking on their harnesses and beastly paws pushing frantically into the churned earth. Some brave wolves didn't falter and bravely, insanely, leaped through. In all cases, there was not much left of the goblin cavalry when they emerged on the other side of the flame. Beasts, much more than goblins, fought despite their charred flesh, but it wasn't hard for the Bannor soldiers to finish them off.

Beyond the smoldering husks and wall of flame, a few lucky goblin riders had managed to pull up in time. All showed signs of the intense heat that must be radiating from the magical wall, and any thought of continuing the battle was long dispersed from their minds. They immediately wheeled around and fled in the opposite direction.

Again the priest of Junil moved, this time reaching up to swiftly pull back the large hood.

"Lizardfolk!" Amin couldn't help but blurt out as the reptilian head was exposed. He instinctively shrunk back, as if this priest was suddenly a new threat. The only lizard men he knew about were barbaric tribes that raided civilization from their preferred lands, jungle and swamp.

He - Amin assumed this lizardfolk was male - removed a necklace and thrust it out at one of the retreating riders. The wolf-beast appeared to heed the barked command from the priest, stopping immediately in its tracks. It was quickly apparent, though, that obedience had nothing to do with it, as the creature stiffly remained in half-stride. Even its tail was suspended against gravity.

Atop the living statue, the goblin rider futilely urged the beast forward. His motions and squawks become more panicked and desperate as he realized his predicament. Strapped tightly into the riding harness, as all the goblin riders were, he had nowhere to go.

Satisfied with the result, the lizard-kin replaced necklace, then hood, returned his hands to his sleeves, and calmly walked back toward his carriage.

"Kill the beassst," came his low, hissing voice, barely audible to Amin. "Bring the goblin to me."

(My first post here)

I am a huge D&D fan who has totally fallen in love with this world. Especially with the Belseraph civ. Bards have always been my favorite class and I find everything about Perpentach and Keelyn fascinating. Unfortunately, I will have to be the DM in this one, but if I was playing in any of your campaigns sign me up for a chaotic neutral Belseraph bard. My performance being acrobatics/dancing.

That would be an awesome character. I'm still toying with the idea of running a FfH D&D PBeM RPG ...
I don't think I have enough creative energy (or free time) to do that along with DMing this campaign and playing in another D&D campaign.

I've got some Inquisitor action coming up soon in my D&D campaign. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on how inquisitors would engage in combat, what spells they would use, what special abilities they may have as a prestige class, etc. I hope to make this as unique as possible (i.e., not your typical D&D combat), so let the ideas fly!

- Niilo

I think they'd fight kinda like mindflayers :mischief:

I can picture them fighting mentally, like the psi units in SMAC.

So you'd be going for a cleric I'd guess to start with?
Farmer bobathan and Wilbowman are on the money with saying an inqusitor will work through mind affecting spells primarily. Sadly there are no prestige classes that really, REALLY fit into the role properly and especially not for a FFH world. Although they are out there they're too concerned with breaking illusions, banishing possessing spirits and protecting their own minds.
I'd highly recommend a slection of spells that fall into the fire domain, as our FFH inqusitors used to favor that school in the game. Now you've got Junil as having access to Law, Fire, Luck, and Good which is fair enough- if you have access to the D&D suppliment 'Complete Divine' there is an Inqusition domain there as well as a Domination domain that suit an inqusitor very snugly. I'd chose spells from those schools, using dominations, suggestions and hold person spells. He's going to want to cleanse and burn but why wouldn't he be able to adopt such spells as righteous might to mix it up hand to hand?
Very traditional (and time honored) spells such as recitation and castigate are just made for an inqusitor to use, while surrounding himself in a fire shield, wall of fire or immolating his enemies with flame strikes suit the FFH feeling of the spells.

The most terrifying inqusitor I've ever come across is the Halruuhan Magehound from the Forgotten Realms suppliment 'Shining South' Thanks more to Elaine Cunningham for her fantasic writing of the series 'Councilors and Kings' where a Magehound features in the story as a major antagonist. However it's not perfect as this is the role of the investigator/judge who can bring down the most powerful of magic users- stop their magic dead, shrug off most of what can be thrown back and comes with the full clout of the law behind them. I'd strongly reccommend scanning that one and adapting it to suit your needs.

um... would it be possible to make a special folder for D&D FFH2? that would be awesome for us plentiful DMs out there loving your ideas

As soon as I get my hands on 4th ed, and getting to know it, I plan on running this world as my campaign. I'll keep you huys informed.

After reading this thread I got the bug badly-- but seeing as I own 70ish 3.5 books I'm not going to wait for 4th ed.. the great thing is I've managed to find a few old buddies and convince them in just on evening what a good idea FFH would make as a setting.
I love the D&D rules things I've found people put down here and I really agree it would be great to have a thread-- especially anything else Kael is prepared to put down from his old campaign.

If anyone has the time and inclination, I'd like some feedback on another story. This one involves the Lizardfolk inquisitor introduced in a previous cut-scene. He's become a significant NPC in the game and so I wanted to flesh out his history a bit. I'm particularly interested in help with the religious aspects of the story - I'm not religious at all so I feel I tend to understate such things in writing.

So let the criticisms and suggestions fly!

- Niilo

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Thrill.

Intruders. Prey. Krasslik carefully stalked the humans. He chose his target. The white one in the middle. The others seemed to protect this one. This made Krasslik relish the thought of tearing the white one apart. He would spill its blood. It would not be white for long. He would prove himself to the elders. They would give him his warrior's name.

The signal. His tribesmen attacked. Krasslik eagerly pushed himself out of the swamp water. He easily leaped over an old, fallen tree. As he ran, faster than any of his kin, he let the Rage come. Scaly lips parted to show a sharp, toothy grin. Nothing felt better than the Rage.

The first human. It was covered in shiny metal and carried a long, pointed stick. Too slow for Krasslik. Shocked eyes followed Krasslik as he leaped over this human's stick. Over the human. He reached down as he flew past. With one taloned hand he clawed the soft flesh. Ripped open its throat.

The white one was ahead of him. The Rage burned inside. Krasslik hissed and charged at it. He raised both hands, fingers wide, ready to strike.

He stopped. No! He did not want to stop! The white one stood there, looking at him, holding one hand up toward Krasslik. Then it turned away. Krasslik seethed inside. His body would not move. His hands were still raised. His eyes were stuck forward, mouth still held open in anticipation of the kill.

His Rage dissipated, replaced by impotent anger.

The sounds of battle. Krasslik could not look. But he heard the fight. He heard the death. He did not hear humans screaming. He did not hear victory. Shame