Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Domriso 05-27-07, 11:54 PM	Alright, basically I'm starting this thread because I am in the process of creating a homebrew world that is very different from standard DnD campaign worlds. I have several ideas that are all swirling around in my head, but basically I want some feedback on what I do have. The first thing I should mention is that I combine magic, technology, steampunk, and a type of organic-tech all into one, so any references to technology would likely be to that. Both magic and technology are relatively rare, at least in the extremely powerful versions. Steampunk is often called the 'commoners art' because it is used by people in areas void of much technology and magic. Organic-tech is practiced primarily in lands far removed from other areas, where racial interaction is either strained or non-existent. I'm going to start with the races because I think they are what need the greatest ripping apart. I have very few standard races in Cael, so this is one area which is radically different. Caelian Races Humans: Humans are the quintessential race, common to most lands. Humans were not the first race in existence, nor were they the last, but rather they came into being sometime after the Dawn of Light. Humans have relatively short lives when compared to other races yet they continue to survive and thrive. Enura: The enura were one of the first races, and they wear this with pride. The enura are also called giants, because that is what they are. Enura stand at just over 12 ft., and they are incredibly powerful. But the enura have only minor control over most magic and don't have the greatest control over technology either. As such, enura live in the mountains and rarely interact with other races. Hygarn: The hygarn are what most call goblins. Small, brutish creatures, the hygarn are disliked by most other races. The hygarn live in small tribes, but hygarn breed like rabbits, so there is never a truly small tribe. Usually tribes split when they reach a certain size, but this is not always the case. Hygarn have limited to no control over magic, technology, or steampunk, but, surprisingly, are the main practitioners of organic-tech. Tribes which have great access to organic-tech can be dangers to most any city. Nyeow: The nyeow are what most would call 'catgirls'. Most hate this term, but they receive it nonetheless. The nyeow are an enigma of races for the fact that very few male nyeow exist. The birth of a male nyeow is a celebrated occurrence, usually becoming a holiday in and of itself within the community where it was born. Nyeow are highly druidic and have great control over nature, where they spend most of their time. Ssca'zeeral: The ssca'zeeral are lizard-people. They are proud, haughty, solitary creatures which have twelve different subraces, each tied to a specific color, or gem in some cases. The twelve subraces each have different traits and penchants for magic. The twelve tribes are: Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange, Purple, White, Black, Copper, Silver, Grey, and Opal. The subraces all have different physical traits and mental traits, and each generally stays within their own societies. Wyrmlings: Wyrmling is a general term given to a creature with dragon-blood flowing through their veins. In their case, the wyrmlings are dragon-blooded humanoids which have become a race all their own. Wyrmlings possess a breathe weapon and other characteristics which are similar to dragons, such as claws, fangs, acute senses, and resistance to certain energy types. Co'ari: The co'ari have been described as "super-humans" many a time throughout history. Generally believed to be a myth, the co'ari do indeed exist, though their numbers have been steadily decreasing since the Culling. Co'ari are physically identical to humans, except for one feature: their manes. A co'ari has a 'mane' which grows from their neck and shoulders. Their hairline doesn't end at the neck; instead it goes down and then spreads to the shoulders. Also, the term super-human is a good way to describe the co'ari because they are basically superior to humans in everyway. Their only drawback is that they reproduce very slowly, and that they are very passive. Co'ari get physically ill by performing acts of violence, even when in physical danger. They do have enough sense to avoid battle and not to help their enemies, but they also will not attack another, even if it means their life. Co'ari often practice healing magics or other magics, but stray away from damaging spells. Cereph: Cereph are a race of short, nomadic humanoids, but with a psionic side. Cereph are connected to each other in a way similar to a hivemind, but they can cease their connections to each other and still possess individuality. Cereph are also very angry creatures, often attacking others on a whim. A common bit of advice given to people who are traveling to areas frequented by cereph is, "Keep your mouth shut, but make sure you wear greaves." This comes from the fact that cereph have a tendency to stab people in the legs if angered. Many cereph are mindblades, but a good many are also barbarians and psions. Very few are sorcerers or wilders, due to their lack of wisdom. Lustraus: The lustraus are a race of subterranean people who are the most common miners of Cael. Lustraus enjoy gems, mostly, but also mine for profit. Lustraus are most easily identifiable by their heavy carapace which covers their backs, and the two large "spikes" which protrude from it. While not actually spikes, the protrusions from the backs of lustraus are commonly called spikes. The lustraus can use these as weapons, but mostly use them to deflect falling rocks. Lustraus are very calm creatures, rarely getting angry and mostly staying within their mining communities. Orian: The orian are a race which is talked about greatly in myths and legends. Even more interesting is that science and magic both have difficulty describing exactly what contributes to their amazing abilities. The orian are known as the frame-shifters, and for good reason. Orian are usually encountered in their normal form, that of a graceful looking humanoid. They have pointed ears, thin, lithe bodies, and delicate frames. But when injured or angered they become something else entirely. The signature ability of the barbaric orian is their ability to transform from an unassuming small humanoid to a hulking brute with incredible physical prowess, if a bit ugly features. Most orian dislike this form, but some spend most of their time in it, not caring about their looks. Bjord: The bjord are almost completely normal humans when first born, with a small exception. Each bjord is born with a strange group of creatures which live within them. In exchange for feeding off the bjord, these creatures provide the bjord with a heavy rock coating. The symbiotic creatures absorb the dust that comes off of nearby rocks and then uses it to grow a natural armor which covers the bjord from head to toe. The covering changes with the dominate rocks which are around the bjord. Some bjord purposefully carry certain kinds of rocks with them so that they don't get covered with a different rock. The creatures can also cover the bjord with gems, but there needs to be a large quantity of the gems being near them at all times. Quamulus: Strange creatures with an innate connection to the air, the quamulus are tall, thin creatures which live in the mountains. The quamulus appear as an unnaturally thin human with dark skin. Their arms stretch almost to their feet. All of their features are elongated and stretched, to the point that many humanoids are disgusted by their appearance. One of the key abilities of a quamulus is their ability to fly. Quamulus secrete a thin film which covers their entire bodies. By pushing their arms close to their legs they can create a membrane between their legs and arms which can then be easily altered by the wind, which they have an innate control over. Since many humanoids are so disgusted by their appearance, the quamulus are hospitable to any guest, almost to an annoyance. The quamulus strive to show that they aren't just freaks of nature. P'maxsh: Possibly the strangest of all humanoid races, the p'maxsh are fungal creatures. P'maxsh appear to be purple humanoids with a generic face. They have some black streaks in their coloring, but mostly they are purple. They also are very strange in their actions. The p'maxsh reproduce by their spores. By covering a dead body with a small bit of spores they can create a new p'maxsh. The spores eat through the flesh of the corpse and grow fungus over the bones. The body resembles the corpse which was used as a base. In this way their can be half-p'maxsh, or p'maxsh which are grown on creatures other than humanoids. P'maxsh can change the way their facial structure is so they can appear as other creatures, but they are still purple. Their other ability is that they have other kinds of spores which have a myriad of effects, including paralysis, sleep, poison, and flesh-eating. Made: The Made are a race of living constructs, an incredibly rare creature. Humanoids have strived for thousands of years to create sentient constructs, but they always failed. None ever achieved what they wanted. Then came the constructs known as the Mindeaters. Mindeaters were created to steal information from the minds of other creatures and store it in their bodies. This construct was adopted by many different races and they became a common occurrence. Then came the Hell-Spawned Era. During the Hell-Spawned era, the Mindeaters were used to steal the information from fiends. Then a random happenstance caused a Mindeater to gain sentience. It lost its ability to steal information, yet it had a mind and soul of its own. Almost all of the Mindeaters in that time became Made. The Made then stole the information on how to create Mindeaters, in an attempt to create more Made. But, after the Culling, the Made production suddenly ceased. It is not truly known why this has happened. Stialin: The stialin are a race of bug-like creatures which usually live underground. The stialin have one of the most innovative political systems in history, mostly because of their abilities. The stialin are physio-political creatures. This means that when a stialin gains a higher political status they undergo literal physiological changes. The type of political systems may differ, but the stages of the stialin remain constant throughout, no matter the political system. As a rule of thumb, stialin generally do not adventure because in most societies adventurers are considered lower than even peasants, and, as such, adventuring stialin possess no extra abilities. These are the races of Cael. As you can see they are anything but standard. Even the enura and hygarn are different when compared to the normal DnD kinds. I will post their actual statistics later, but I wanted to get their ideas out there. And, for a bit of backstory. The Dawn of Light is the point where more powerful magic became possible. Before this time magic was limited, in technical terms only up to 4th level spells could be cast. Afterwards more powerful magic existed. The Hell-Spawned Era is the time period after the Gates of Hell were opened and fiends and celestials gained easy access to the Material Plane. The Culling was the period of time after the Gates of Hell were closed and then locked, effectively stopping all fiends and celestials from easily being able to get to the Material Plane. During the Culling, the remianing fiends and celestials were killed off or banished.
queenfange 05-28-07, 12:06 AM	Wow. You put a ton of work into this, I see. Since there are so many other races, is it safe to assume that humans are not overwhelmingly predominant? You said they are common in most lands, but how much more than other races? Are the other races for one continent or several? Will there be psionics? Sorry about all the questions; I'm intrigued. :)
Domriso 05-28-07, 10:37 AM	Humans are not predominant. They do have a large hold on Cael in general because of their quick reproductive abilities, but if that was the only reason then the hygarn would have the greatest hold. In truth, humans are the innovators, the first race to truly embrace technology and advance it. Even so, the lustraus have taken technology to new levels for subterranean expeditions. The ssca'zeeral were the first to gain high magic (in other words, 9th level spells and some epic), but they don't like to be in exposed to other cultures. Instead they enjoy being by their lonesome. Hygarn have the major control over organic-tech, but no one truly knows why. Steampunk is used mostly by humans, because not all are lucky enough to live in areas of high technology. Cael is one single continent. There is one other continent that I've actually started to create, and that is Isa, an oriental type continent. There are not as many of the other races on that continent, but they do exist. Most definently psionics. And incarnum. And things from the Tome of Magic. Probably also from the Tome of Battle, but I haven't read through that yet and I've gotten mixed reports. I think it's safe to say that I differ greatly from the general campaign setting. As for large amounts of questions, that's why I posted this on here. I love to get constructive critism, so long as it truly is constructive, and I value others contributions. Next up I will be posting the many types of magic. O yeah. I tried to recreate the base classes. Key word is "tried".
Domriso 05-28-07, 12:01 PM	These are my types of magic in my campaign. Originally I was trying to recreate all the magic using base classes, but then I found that I couldn't do that or I would destroy key components of the game. So, instead, I began to create specialized classes which emulate a certain type of magic. This will be just a summary of each kind of magic, mostly because I haven't actually created most of the classes yet. It's difficult to create truly thought out classes, but, anyway, here are the basics. Alchemy: Alchemy is the breaking down of ingredients to their base, releasing the magic inherent in their form, and then recombining these to form new materials. Generally this is a very long process that cannot be done on the fly, but some alchemists can create very short lived potions to produce a myriad of effects. This is basically less of a class, more of a profession, but I am in the process of creating a long list of alchemical ingredients, each with specific effects, that can be broken down to create potions. Alchemy is by no means only used for this, but it is a common use. Aura: Aura magic is the magic of deception, specifically of perception. Aura magic is the manipulation of the auras which surround everything in the world. Everything has an aura, and everything’s aura can be manipulated, therefore everything can be disguised. Aura magic is also called illusions, because that is what it is. Aura magic is a specialized form of illusions. All illusion magic is either manipulating the auras or directly manipulating the creature's mind; Aura magic just focuses on a particular type of magic. Binding: Binding magic is the art of anchoring souls to objects. Practiced primarily in barbaric lands, binding magic is considered evil by many cultures. Binding magic can bind any type of soul to an object, granting it powers. I thought about this one a great bit. I wanted a type of magic that came directly from attaching souls to objects, such as weapons and armor, and this worked well. I'm still working out the kinks in the mechanics of the class, though. Channeling: Channeling magic is the focusing of an otherworldly spirit into one's body, or, occasionally, another's body, to gain powers. This is different from Shamanic magic because shamans focus humanoid or nature spirits through their person, rather than otherworldly spirits. This is a class that highly resembles the Binder class from Tome of Magic, but is not quite the Binder. This class is more like possession, with caution stopping true possession. The channeler gains abilities similar to the bound spirit. Elementality: Elementality is the control and manipulation of the five basic elements. Each elementalist is different, and each has separate powers, but in general they are easy to recognize. Yes, five classical elements. There actually were five classical elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Quintessence. Quintessence, called Aether in Cael, was what composed the celestial bodies. This works out incredibly well, with each element tying into a specific energy type. Air-Lightning, Aether-Cold, Earth-Sonic, Fire-Fire, Water-Acid. It actually works out like they planned it this way. I've done the most work on this class, and will have at least a partially completed class that I will post soon. Fiendish/Celestial: These types of magics are incredibly similar, therefore are grouped together. Both types draw divine power off of some kind of "god", but their other powers differ greatly. Fiendish magic is highly destructive, in fact it is made to destroy. Celestial magic is very helpful, often supporting or healing type magic. Alright, these are special types of divine magic, basically clerics. Clerics are slightly different in my campaign, because gods are different. Gods are not as clear cut as many would like them to be. Therefore clerics have sometimes interesting worship. Also, the base class itself is being changed, with special abilities other than turning undead. Turning undead is just one of the things that clerics can do. Ki: Ki is the natural animating energy inherent in everyone. Normally off-limits for people, extreme physical discipline can allow a person to tap this powerful energy and use it for their own choices. Often seen in monks, some other practitioners have found ways to tap Ki. Ki is pretty self-explanatory. I am changing the monk class to resemble something more like the variant class found in the Dungeonomicon, which was created by players and posted on Wizards. It won't be exactly the same, but it will be similar. Melody: The magic of music. Music has magic latent within its core, something which can be manipulated by those who learn its secrets. Melody is a less practiced art, or at least a less flaunted art, for it is rarely seen in great use. In reality most of its abilities are subtle and not easily detected. Very few abilities of those who practice melody are flashy. Also self-explanatory. I believe the Bard class to be woefully underpowered, therefore I am attempting to recreate it, but I am having difficulty. I've actually been studying it more closely, to see if maybe my belief that the Bard class is underpowered is incorrect. Mergrun: Mergrun is the magic of body manipulation. Those who practice mergrun can magically manipulate the body in order to produce a myriad of effects. Some cause natural weapons to form, some increase physical abilities, some just plain heal. It doesn't truly matter what they do, it is still mergrun. Mergrun is one of my particular favorites. I like the idea of having your entire abilities focused around changing your body to better suit your need. But there also has to be limits, so it is still a work in progress. Mirror: Mirror magic is just as it sounds: the control of the magic found within mirrors. Mirror magic is very deceptive, but also dangerous. Reflective powers, confusion, subterfuge, and many other abilities make mirror mages dangerous. Mirror magic is something I find incredibly interesting. To turn it into a base class will be incredibly difficult. But I will prevail! I already have some ideas, and my friend actually created a mirror mage, but it's not exactly what I want. Natural: Natural magic is the magic of nature. Practitioners are known commonly as druids, and many enjoy their art. Druids can be the enforcers of natural law, but also be the executioners of those who break them. Druids come in just about every form. The druid class changes little, if at all. There's not much else to say. Necromancy: Necromancy is a sorely abused art. There is a stigma attached to necromancy which is unfortunate since necromancy can provide such useful abilities. Necromancy is, in general, the manipulation of the animating and life-force of creatures. Many necromancers abuse this and use their powers for evil, but not all do. Necromancy is something I have a great bit of respect for. Most people associate it with evil, but I don't necessarily. Necromancy can be used for such good, mostly because: Healing spells are necromancy, not conjuration, and I have them changed back in my campaign. Necromancy is very misunderstood, though it does have many evil practitioners. Paradox: Paradox is the term given to those who control the powers of light and darkness. This is not the control of light and darkness in the complete general sense. Rather, the concept of light and darkness fuel their power. Light and darkness can be used for incredible feats when controlled correctly. Paradox is the magic which is most often used in Isa. Paradox has a special place in my heart because of this. Also, in my campaign, light and dark energy exist, just like the other energy types they can damage and be used in interesting ways. Psi: Psi is the magic of the mind. The powers of the mind are wide and far-reaching, allowing for incredible feats to be achieved. Most psi magic revolves around manipulating the mind, but they do have some different powers. Psi is really just another name for psionics. I don't know why but I felt like calling it something different. Runic: Runic magic is the magic of writing. Many languages have some inherent magic left in them, going all the way back to the first written language, the only written form of Truespeech ever conceived. Runic magic uses a bastardized form of the first written language, yet it is still immensely powerful. I always liked the idea of their being a magic completely formed by having to write and draw seals. This is my attempt at it. Shamanic: Shamanic magic is the art of focusing humanoid or nature spirits through a person’s body. This is considered by many modern cultures to be barbaric, but in the areas where it is practiced usually treat shamans as gods. Shamans are something I find interesting. Most of their abilities come from the spirits they bind, but some are just inherent to shamans. This is another class similar to the Binder, but, again, the Binder is different. Truespeech: Truespeech is the magic of language. Truespeech is the language of creation. Merely speaking it can alter reality. Truespeech is very difficult to say, being long and complicated. Very few can truly use truespeech to its full extent. For now, Truespeech is just the truespeaker class from Tome of Magic, but I hope to alter it to something more interesting. So, those are the different types of magic in Cael. Very expansive and complicated, but it is still what I like. The elementalist class is near being finished, so I will post it soon.
Domriso 05-29-07, 05:18 PM	Now it's time to describe some of the intrincities of Cael. First is the definitions of Magic, Technology, Steampunk, and Organic-tech. Magic: Magic is pretty obvious. Anything which is supernatural in origin and devoid of technological backing is usually considered magic. Some steampunk and organic-tech could possibly be confused with magic, but they are different and not magic. Technology: Technology is anything which follows the laws of physics and does not have imbiguous origin. Again, some steampunk and organic-tech may resemble technology, but in reality they are separate. Steampunk: Steampunk, also called gaslamp, is things which resemble technology but their origin is debated. Usually run by steam, occasionally steampunk machines are run by other sources of energy. Steampunk items appear to be from the victorian era in their physical composure. Organic-tech: Organic-tech is an enigma to modern science and to modern magical studies. Organic-tech is somehow grown from materials which alone would do nothing together, yet somehow, possibly by being processed in a certain way or a ritual of some sort, grow into incredibly complex devices. Organic-tech is similar to technology in a way akin to steampunk; it can be grown to perform specific tasks like machines. But, organic-tech can also be grown to be something more like magic, producing instantaneous effects or temporary effects which usually aid in specific situations. Levels of Magic: Epic Magic - Epic level spellcasting High Magic - 7th-9th level spellcasting Middling Magic - 4th-6th level spellcasting Lesser Magic - 2nd-3rd level spellcasting Low Magic - 0th-1st level spellcasting Levels of Technology: Epic Tech - Antimatter weapons, wormholes, molecular disintigration High Tech - Plasma, lasers, antigravity, suspended animation Middling Tech - Modern technology, automatic weaponry, nuclear weapons, Lesser Tech - beginnings of firearms/modern medicine, bayonets, revolvers Low Tech - No firearms, melee weaponry, bow and arrows, Now that the definitions are done I can explain how they work together. Magic and technology evolved side-by-side for a number of years, mostly propelled by the human race, until they reached middling Tech and Magic. At this point the two sides began to feel that the other side wasn't worth the expenditure, for various reasons. The two split and grew apart. After the Gates of Hell were opened, both sides fell into chaos and all races did what they could to survive. Both high tech and magic had been achieved, but neither were in major use. All societies were thrust out into the open and forced to recognize that other cultures and races existed, since before this most races had been isolated by choice. After the Culling the two arts, magic and technology, grew together, with most of the races staying isolated but keeping trade routes and their cities open for other races to be exposed to. Thus started the modern era, the Era of Reforging. Now, technology and magic are fine by themselves, but when both exist some problems arise. These are problems with the literal laws that govern the multiverse, and what usually happens is loopholes and anomalies. Steampunk and organic-tech take advantage of these loopholes, and, in fact, are only possible because of these loopholes. Areas of epic spellcasting or technology are rare, if any truly exist. Even areas of high magic and technology are uncommon. Most areas are middling or less, and in areas of low magic and low technology the creatures living there have the hardiest time of all. These socieities do not have the benefit of either of the arts and thus turn to other ways in which to provide for themselves. One of these ways is steampunk. Steampunk technologies can arise from even the worst-off conditions, and this is exactly what happened. Areas that were civilized but devoid of either technology or magic often became prime areas for steampunk to arise. Since the materials at hand could be used to create steampunk technologies that was what came to be. Steampunk technologies gained great interest from both centers of magic and centers of technology and are still experimented with today. Organic-tech grew (no pun intended) in areas which were not as main-stream as the other areas. Not exactly uncivilized, per se, but generally considered uncivilized by many other areas. As such, races such as the hygarn and the orian became accustomed to using organic-tech, although the hygarn used it much more than the orian because the orian had natural abilities which helped them. And that is the end of my brief description of the way Magic, Technology, Steampunk and Organic-tech grew together. Next I will begin to explain the planar set up of the multiverse of Cael, and the problems that arose when the Barrier of Ages was erected.
Domriso 05-29-07, 09:07 PM	Alright, now it's time for the planes. Planes have always fascinated me; in fact my previous campaign setting I created revolved primarily around the plains. But in this campaign I wanted to make things a bit different. So like everything else in this setting, I played around with the planes, and in doing that I also changed the alignment system. Alignment System: In truth, I basically got rid of the alignment system. I have always found it to be basically useless; okay for describing some general things but utterly annoying in many other aspects. I also hated how the alignment system restricted role-playing, or at least forced certain alignments on people. So I knew I wanted a different system, but I didn't know how to go about creating it. Then I saw a certain thread here on Wizards that basically spawned what became my system. I can't remember who first put out this idea, so if anyone knows please tell me and I will give credit where credit's due. The system was based off of the 7 Deadly Sins, where there were 14 categories. One category, made up of the 7 Deadly Sins, were the vices. Their opposites, the virtues, were the just that; the opposites of the vices. I believe they went something like this: Pride - Humility Greed - Moderation Envy - Concern Gluttony - Abstinent Wrath - Calm Sloth - Ambition Lust - Chastity Players were to pick four of the choices, none of which could be opposite of the other. Then, during game play, at certain times the players would make will saves to resist their temptations, depending on what they had selected as their choices. I took this idea and kept the basic premise, but I don't have the will save part. These are more guidlines to provide role-playing applications. In reality I have basically no alignment system. Obviously I don't want evil campaigns, for the most part, but no one is truly good and no one is truly evil, nor is anyone truly neutral. I applied my philosophy of no alignment system to fiends and celestials as well. Fiends are generally evil creatures which delight in pain and torture, but some go against the grain. They will usually keep their fiendish appearance, but who is to say what is and isn't good or evil? On the flipside, celestials are usually good, but some are downright evil. And as for law and chaos, sure, some have more chaotic tendencies, and some are more lawful, but who is to say what exactly is lawful and what isn't? It's just to philosophical to have dictate large portions of game ment to have fun (unless you like those kinds of things.) This then carried over to my planar map. In the multiverse Cael is located in, planes are more of a set of lines going forever in either direction. The farther you get to either side of your respective plane, the stranger and more alien that plane appears. In that way, creatures from the Far Plane are just creatures from a plane very distant from the Material Plane, and the Material Plane is just as alien to them as the Far Plane is to most other inhabitants. This makes some of the planes more or less dissociated from the Material Plane than others. This has no real effect on gameplay, just when you study planes would you realize this. As for the planes themselves, I have several already created, and one is obviously the Astral Plane. The Astral Plane works in mostly the same way, filling the holes between planes. The next are the Hells and the Heavens. Both of these Planes are somewhat infinite in scope. Not one single creature knows the depths or limits of the planes, therefore they are classified as unlimited in size. The Hells hold the fiends, and the Heavens hold the celestials. Next we have the Elemental Planes. The elemental planes act in mostly the same way that the other planes do, except for one key feature: The planes themselves are alive. While they have a sentience all their own, no one can fathom the depths of their intellect or the sanity of themselves. Many believe them to be beyond mortal ken, yet still people attempt to understand them. Some even worship the planes themselves, and can gain spells from them. Mostly elementalists worship the planes, but some clerics do as well. There are innumerous other planes as well, but really they aren't important for one reason: The Barrier of Ages. After the Gates of Hell were opened and almost destroyed all the creatures on the Material Plane the remaining members of mortals attempted to close the Gates of Hell again, permanently. They turned to Epic Magic to accomplish this, but some also turned to Epic Technology. The result was the Barrier of Ages, a rare example of Magic and Technology working together in almost perfect unity. Too perfect, as it turned out. The Barrier of Ages blocked all but the most powerful of exits. This means that only Epic magic and technology can pierce the Barrier, and even when it does it is generally for very short periods of time. This means that very few fiends and celestials, and elementals, and, really, any outsiders, are rare. Therefore, very few planetouched exist, very few tainted areas exist, and anything from another plane is considered incredibly valuable. But another side-effect happened because of the Barrier of Ages. Souls used to travel to the outer planes to rest eternally, or at least semi-eternally. Once the Barrier of Ages was erected souls could not travel to the outer planes because they lacked the power to do so. Instead, souls fall into the Netherworld, a coterminous plane with the Material Plane. Inhabiting the Netherworld are incredibly powerful beast, primal creatures from an age before time. Their immortal existance leads them to do strange things, and one of them is the torture of souls. Souls were led to the Netherworld, a place which used to be nearly void of souls, so those that did fall to the Netherworld were literally ripped apart by torture. Now it is overflowing, literally, and souls are returning to the Material Plane, but in a form unlike any the Material Plane has ever seen. Called the Darkened Husk, these creatures are mere shells of their former selves. They possess a body, physically exactly the same, but that is all that is the same. The animating energy of these bodies is unknown, but dark energy, infuses their very being and produces incredibly dangerous abilities. The Darkened Husks minds are shredded, reduced to less than animal-like intelligence. Their souls are likewise destroyed, resulting in an emotionless husk which possesses almost none of the memories that it previously had. Though they are rare, darkened husks appear more frequently every year. The number of Darkened Huskes in the world is unknown, but the number is increasing, and this causes great panic among those that know what they are. Usually darkened husks are rather weak, more powerful than they were before, but weak nonetheless. Occasionally a powerful one appears, and these normally wipe out entire towns before being destroyed or bound. That's it for now. I'll have more posted tomorrow.