My homebrew: Walled continent of Ceptima [Archive] - Wizards Community

My homebrew: Walled continent of Ceptima [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
The Violinist
05-26-07, 11:34 AM Ok folks, just want to warn you, this is a long-read, so grab a snack;)

About a year ago I started DM-ing a campaign with a homebrew world. The players liked it I think, and we've been playing on it for 3/4 years (1/4 break, will start up with it again soon). Anyways, just want to get some feedback.

There is mainly one thing that makes this home-brew-world special, and that is the walled continent Ceptima (which is where most of the gaming-sessions are played). Ceptima is not really a continent, but more like a series of small and large islands surrounded by an "endless" wall.

In this world there is only one race that has the power of magic, and that is the elves. The elves live a lot longer that the human race, and therefore they have the ability to create more advanced technology. The really wise elves don’t die of old age, and can just keep on making fantastic things. The elves use the power of magic almost as electricity, to run the technological stuff they make. For example trains, flying machines, etc. Only a few monsters and elves live inside Ceptima. The elven race considered them selves to be the perfect race, and the only one who could create a utopia. Therefore, all the other races was kept outside.

Ceptima was created at the end of the fifth era, when approximately 80% of the elven race immigrated to the islands where Ceptima now stands. The seven elven elders had earlier held a council where they discussed the idea of making a perfect world, a utopia. They came to the conclusion that only the “perfect” race, the elves, could make such a world. After the council they sent out messages calling all elves to work on the utopia project. The elves didn’t normally get good payment most places in the world. They were treated as freaks because of their magical gift. Because of this, most of the elves went to work on the utopia.

It took several years before the wall was finished, and when it was, even more elves had moved to Ceptima. Now about 95% of the elves in the whole world lived inside the walls, and the first era of Ceptima had started.

Btw, there weren’t that many elves in the world at this time, so 95% isn’t that much, don’t ask me about numbers though.

After about 50 years came the first civil-war in Ceptima, about 50% of the elves lost their lives, and most of Ceptima was destroyed. In the next 5 years most of the elves lived in poverty. During this time, the elders made a machine which, driven by an immense magical power-source, could repair the elven world. The machine was called “Diluculo”, but later on it was also called “The Layer Machine”. The Diluculo had the ability to create a whole new world inside Ceptima, as a new layer on top of the old one. The most “important” elves (strong magicians, tech-engineers, kings, and so on) were taken inside flying machines, (Zeppelins, balloons, etc.) while the machine did its work. Most of the elves who were left behind on the planet died, but some managed to survive beneath the surface of the new Ceptima. These survivors had no source of light (except for some magical crystals but that’s a different story) and after a while they developed dark-vision, their hair lost its pigment (drows).

The Diluculo has been used 3 times. The second time was about 100 years later, caused by a great draught. Since the new Ceptima was made artificially by the Diluculo, it had problems sucking up water from rain. In addition, it couldn’t access the great seas from the outside world, and after 100 years the lakes went dry and the Diluculo was initiated once more. This time no-one who were left behind as the Diluculo did its work, survived. They all died from draught, or suffocation from lack of air. The earlier drows had access to underground rivers, and canals with fresh air which lead to the outside world.

In the third era, Ceptima had fixed the draught problems (don’t know how yet… they just did :P), and this time it seemed as if the idea of a utopia could finally work. They had to make a new layer though, because of the two brethren Julian and Joshua, two of the elders, who got into a conflict which just got bigger and bigger (I haven’t come up with the conflict yet, so don’t ask;)). The elders are perhaps the strongest humanoid who has ever lived, and the battle between the two brethren destroyed had enormous consequences, which led to the destruction of most of Ceptima. After about 10 years of battling, the other elders had prepared a ritual to stop the two brethren. They sealed both of them and took both their weapons (the Avenger Blades. [In game known as Joshua’s Avenger and Julian’s Avenger] Two blades imbued with the power of hatred, made only with the purpose to destroy the other brother) and sealed all their power within them. The brethren were now without their magical power, and it was easy for the other elders to handle the problem. Joshua was expelled to the outside world, and Julian was kept inside Ceptima’s best guarded prison. The Avenger blades were sealed by the elder Emmanuel inside two different gates, placed on each side of Ceptima. Each of the gates led to another dimension. Emmanuel had the power of the underworld and was a demon-tamer The Avenger-blades were kept in Emmanuel’s underworld, guarded by his strongest demons. After sealing the brethren, the problem was solved, but the battle between the two brethren’s minions still raged, and since most of the world was destroyed the Diluculo was initiated again.

I’m also gonna tell a bit about the players, and a bit about the game.

The players are the five Vermilion brethren Leonell, Kyouran, Manskard, Pete and Gerrard. They are the sons of the well known craftsman Robert Vermilion. Robert’s father, the brethrens grandfather (who for the moment will remain nameless:P) found a magical elemental gem (imbued with the power of fire, water, earth, wind, and mind) beneath the surface in the outside world. This gem granted him great magical powers, which he hid from every one else. He passed it on to Robert, who later on used it to perform a magical ritual (…long story...). The ritual sent out an enormous magical aura. And since only the elves had the power of magic, they were the only ones who noticed it, and they didn’t want any other race to be able to perform magic, and therefore the elder Emmanuel sent out his special warriors to kill Robert. Robert was aware of his death, and decided to pass the magical gem on to his sons. He cut the gem into five pieces, each one filled with the power of one of the elements. He then put the small gems into five family crests and placed them on musical instruments, which he gave to his sons. After a while, when the brethren grow up they are attacked by the warriors of Emmanuel, who steals their instruments.

The main plot is for the brethren to get the instruments, and the gems back, so they travel to Ceptima. Later on they decide to tap the power of the instruments once they get them, and use the power to… Well they all want to use it to different things actually. The oldest brother wants to bring their father back to life, someone wants to summon the earth god Tellus to tear down the walls of Ceptima, etc. Anyways, the brethren manage to get into Ceptima, through the underground (where they meet drows). Inside the continent they meet elves from different cults who call them the “Matre’Ath” which means human on elvish. The different cults want to use the humans power in different ways. You see, the brethren have the power to… Gah, long story, wont bother going in to it.

A lot of things as happened, mostly on the elven continent Ceptima, but I’m too lazy and hungry to write any more...

If you bothered reading through the whole thing, and still have the botherness left to write a comment to it, please do so, just don’t slaughter me too hard, I was only 15 when the game started:P

That’s all
taradusis
05-26-07, 03:38 PM 1 Have you given any thought to how you would handle a PC joining or leaving the party?2 you seem to have covered only 2 races,humans and elves,does no other race possess divine or arcane magic?3 there's a final fantasy thread,have you mined it for inspiration?4 Is there a possibility of travel to other planes?RANDOM THOUGHTS
The Violinist
05-26-07, 07:26 PM 1 Have you given any thought to how you would handle a PC joining or leaving the party?2 you seem to have covered only 2 races,humans and elves,does no other race possess divine or arcane magic?3 there's a final fantasy thread,have you mined it for inspiration?4 Is there a possibility of travel to other planes?RANDOM THOUGHTS

1. Well I live in a very small village in the middle of nowhere, and people leaving or joining isn't that much of a problem. Besides, there are 4 "main characters" (people who can play frequently) who play the humans (the fifth is an NPC). The only "problem here is that all the new PCs have to be elves, but it hasnt been a problem yet. I did not got that deep into the story line, but its easy to take in new NPCs.

2. Actually, only elves do, but the story is about the five humans who can use the power of magic. They are the only ones, kind'a like "the chosen ones" plot. After the players entered Ceptima, they've only met elves, (among the humanoides), but there are monsters in Ceptima as well. Evil socerers who summon demons, og giant sand-worms (Zelda). That it, although elves are more "normal" in this world, like, they can grow beards, and some of them are fat'n ugly, just like in our world.

3. As a matter of fact, the only ff game I've played (or most of the time I watched my brother play it) wa ff-6 on snes^^.

4. Plane traveling is possible yes, and elves have the power to escape from Ceptima, but, all elves who do so are concidered deserters, and get bounties on their heads... Or more precise, there is a list of all the elves in Ceptima, and if one is missing, they are hunted down and killed (special agents [although that sounded silly...] get missions to travel outside the walls to hun em down).

Thats all
GoriceXII
05-27-07, 07:15 AM Interesting overall concept. What strikes me immediately is that this is more of a campaign than a world in a way--in the sense that the way it works also is what the story revolves around. There are some interesting ideas about elves similar to yours in Elizabeth Boyer's books btw, are you familiar with her writing?
The Violinist
05-27-07, 12:13 PM Interesting overall concept. What strikes me immediately is that this is more of a campaign than a world in a way--in the sense that the way it works also is what the story revolves around. There are some interesting ideas about elves similar to yours in Elizabeth Boyer's books btw, are you familiar with her writing?

I agree that its more like a campaign-setting, but this is the campaign setting board anyways.:)

I'm not familiar to her works, but I'll make sure too look it up:)
The Violinist
05-28-07, 05:53 AM :bump:
Araes
05-28-07, 09:26 PM Overall it seems relatively interesting. Not too horribly long either. I guess that you must play fairly light with the combat and death, otherwise you might kill one of the "chosen ones". What would you do if one of them were to die?

In a way, I actually find the callousness of the elves more interesting than the human story, as it seems like them wiping out a huge portion of their race in the strive for utopia would be a fertile breeding ground for social revolution and stories.
The Violinist
05-29-07, 10:31 AM Overall it seems relatively interesting. Not too horribly long either. I guess that you must play fairly light with the combat and death, otherwise you might kill one of the "chosen ones". What would you do if one of them were to die?

I'm glad to hear that you liked it:) As for the death and combat thingy, it is somewhat a problem yes, but in addition, the players are pretty strong. Btw, the story leads up to a lot of them not surviving because of fights between the brethren, so after a while, death might occur more often (not that I desperatly WANT them to die). Also, there are about a dozen other players who play only in vacations as elven-support-characters, so "the chosen ones" aren't the only ones.

In a way, I actually find the callousness of the elves more interesting than the human story, as it seems like them wiping out a huge portion of their race in the strive for utopia would be a fertile breeding ground for social revolution and stories.

I haven't told half of the story about the humans yet... Didn't bother:P but the reason why Ceptima and the elves are so focused on is because the game has been somewhat improvised along the way, and since the story evolve around the elven continent, I want to give the players info about the elves to use in quests and stuff.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Violinist 05-26-07, 11:34 AM	Ok folks, just want to warn you, this is a long-read, so grab a snack;) About a year ago I started DM-ing a campaign with a homebrew world. The players liked it I think, and we've been playing on it for 3/4 years (1/4 break, will start up with it again soon). Anyways, just want to get some feedback. There is mainly one thing that makes this home-brew-world special, and that is the walled continent Ceptima (which is where most of the gaming-sessions are played). Ceptima is not really a continent, but more like a series of small and large islands surrounded by an "endless" wall. In this world there is only one race that has the power of magic, and that is the elves. The elves live a lot longer that the human race, and therefore they have the ability to create more advanced technology. The really wise elves don’t die of old age, and can just keep on making fantastic things. The elves use the power of magic almost as electricity, to run the technological stuff they make. For example trains, flying machines, etc. Only a few monsters and elves live inside Ceptima. The elven race considered them selves to be the perfect race, and the only one who could create a utopia. Therefore, all the other races was kept outside. Ceptima was created at the end of the fifth era, when approximately 80% of the elven race immigrated to the islands where Ceptima now stands. The seven elven elders had earlier held a council where they discussed the idea of making a perfect world, a utopia. They came to the conclusion that only the “perfect” race, the elves, could make such a world. After the council they sent out messages calling all elves to work on the utopia project. The elves didn’t normally get good payment most places in the world. They were treated as freaks because of their magical gift. Because of this, most of the elves went to work on the utopia. It took several years before the wall was finished, and when it was, even more elves had moved to Ceptima. Now about 95% of the elves in the whole world lived inside the walls, and the first era of Ceptima had started. Btw, there weren’t that many elves in the world at this time, so 95% isn’t that much, don’t ask me about numbers though. After about 50 years came the first civil-war in Ceptima, about 50% of the elves lost their lives, and most of Ceptima was destroyed. In the next 5 years most of the elves lived in poverty. During this time, the elders made a machine which, driven by an immense magical power-source, could repair the elven world. The machine was called “Diluculo”, but later on it was also called “The Layer Machine”. The Diluculo had the ability to create a whole new world inside Ceptima, as a new layer on top of the old one. The most “important” elves (strong magicians, tech-engineers, kings, and so on) were taken inside flying machines, (Zeppelins, balloons, etc.) while the machine did its work. Most of the elves who were left behind on the planet died, but some managed to survive beneath the surface of the new Ceptima. These survivors had no source of light (except for some magical crystals but that’s a different story) and after a while they developed dark-vision, their hair lost its pigment (drows). The Diluculo has been used 3 times. The second time was about 100 years later, caused by a great draught. Since the new Ceptima was made artificially by the Diluculo, it had problems sucking up water from rain. In addition, it couldn’t access the great seas from the outside world, and after 100 years the lakes went dry and the Diluculo was initiated once more. This time no-one who were left behind as the Diluculo did its work, survived. They all died from draught, or suffocation from lack of air. The earlier drows had access to underground rivers, and canals with fresh air which lead to the outside world. In the third era, Ceptima had fixed the draught problems (don’t know how yet… they just did :P), and this time it seemed as if the idea of a utopia could finally work. They had to make a new layer though, because of the two brethren Julian and Joshua, two of the elders, who got into a conflict which just got bigger and bigger (I haven’t come up with the conflict yet, so don’t ask;)). The elders are perhaps the strongest humanoid who has ever lived, and the battle between the two brethren destroyed had enormous consequences, which led to the destruction of most of Ceptima. After about 10 years of battling, the other elders had prepared a ritual to stop the two brethren. They sealed both of them and took both their weapons (the Avenger Blades. [In game known as Joshua’s Avenger and Julian’s Avenger] Two blades imbued with the power of hatred, made only with the purpose to destroy the other brother) and sealed all their power within them. The brethren were now without their magical power, and it was easy for the other elders to handle the problem. Joshua was expelled to the outside world, and Julian was kept inside Ceptima’s best guarded prison. The Avenger blades were sealed by the elder Emmanuel inside two different gates, placed on each side of Ceptima. Each of the gates led to another dimension. Emmanuel had the power of the underworld and was a demon-tamer The Avenger-blades were kept in Emmanuel’s underworld, guarded by his strongest demons. After sealing the brethren, the problem was solved, but the battle between the two brethren’s minions still raged, and since most of the world was destroyed the Diluculo was initiated again. I’m also gonna tell a bit about the players, and a bit about the game. The players are the five Vermilion brethren Leonell, Kyouran, Manskard, Pete and Gerrard. They are the sons of the well known craftsman Robert Vermilion. Robert’s father, the brethrens grandfather (who for the moment will remain nameless:P) found a magical elemental gem (imbued with the power of fire, water, earth, wind, and mind) beneath the surface in the outside world. This gem granted him great magical powers, which he hid from every one else. He passed it on to Robert, who later on used it to perform a magical ritual (…long story...). The ritual sent out an enormous magical aura. And since only the elves had the power of magic, they were the only ones who noticed it, and they didn’t want any other race to be able to perform magic, and therefore the elder Emmanuel sent out his special warriors to kill Robert. Robert was aware of his death, and decided to pass the magical gem on to his sons. He cut the gem into five pieces, each one filled with the power of one of the elements. He then put the small gems into five family crests and placed them on musical instruments, which he gave to his sons. After a while, when the brethren grow up they are attacked by the warriors of Emmanuel, who steals their instruments. The main plot is for the brethren to get the instruments, and the gems back, so they travel to Ceptima. Later on they decide to tap the power of the instruments once they get them, and use the power to… Well they all want to use it to different things actually. The oldest brother wants to bring their father back to life, someone wants to summon the earth god Tellus to tear down the walls of Ceptima, etc. Anyways, the brethren manage to get into Ceptima, through the underground (where they meet drows). Inside the continent they meet elves from different cults who call them the “Matre’Ath” which means human on elvish. The different cults want to use the humans power in different ways. You see, the brethren have the power to… Gah, long story, wont bother going in to it. A lot of things as happened, mostly on the elven continent Ceptima, but I’m too lazy and hungry to write any more... If you bothered reading through the whole thing, and still have the botherness left to write a comment to it, please do so, just don’t slaughter me too hard, I was only 15 when the game started:P That’s all
taradusis 05-26-07, 03:38 PM	1 Have you given any thought to how you would handle a PC joining or leaving the party?2 you seem to have covered only 2 races,humans and elves,does no other race possess divine or arcane magic?3 there's a final fantasy thread,have you mined it for inspiration?4 Is there a possibility of travel to other planes?RANDOM THOUGHTS
The Violinist 05-26-07, 07:26 PM	1 Have you given any thought to how you would handle a PC joining or leaving the party?2 you seem to have covered only 2 races,humans and elves,does no other race possess divine or arcane magic?3 there's a final fantasy thread,have you mined it for inspiration?4 Is there a possibility of travel to other planes?RANDOM THOUGHTS 1. Well I live in a very small village in the middle of nowhere, and people leaving or joining isn't that much of a problem. Besides, there are 4 "main characters" (people who can play frequently) who play the humans (the fifth is an NPC). The only "problem here is that all the new PCs have to be elves, but it hasnt been a problem yet. I did not got that deep into the story line, but its easy to take in new NPCs. 2. Actually, only elves do, but the story is about the five humans who can use the power of magic. They are the only ones, kind'a like "the chosen ones" plot. After the players entered Ceptima, they've only met elves, (among the humanoides), but there are monsters in Ceptima as well. Evil socerers who summon demons, og giant sand-worms (Zelda). That it, although elves are more "normal" in this world, like, they can grow beards, and some of them are fat'n ugly, just like in our world. 3. As a matter of fact, the only ff game I've played (or most of the time I watched my brother play it) wa ff-6 on snes^^. 4. Plane traveling is possible yes, and elves have the power to escape from Ceptima, but, all elves who do so are concidered deserters, and get bounties on their heads... Or more precise, there is a list of all the elves in Ceptima, and if one is missing, they are hunted down and killed (special agents [although that sounded silly...] get missions to travel outside the walls to hun em down). Thats all
GoriceXII 05-27-07, 07:15 AM	Interesting overall concept. What strikes me immediately is that this is more of a campaign than a world in a way--in the sense that the way it works also is what the story revolves around. There are some interesting ideas about elves similar to yours in Elizabeth Boyer's books btw, are you familiar with her writing?
The Violinist 05-27-07, 12:13 PM	Interesting overall concept. What strikes me immediately is that this is more of a campaign than a world in a way--in the sense that the way it works also is what the story revolves around. There are some interesting ideas about elves similar to yours in Elizabeth Boyer's books btw, are you familiar with her writing? I agree that its more like a campaign-setting, but this is the campaign setting board anyways.:) I'm not familiar to her works, but I'll make sure too look it up:)
The Violinist 05-28-07, 05:53 AM	:bump:
Araes 05-28-07, 09:26 PM	Overall it seems relatively interesting. Not too horribly long either. I guess that you must play fairly light with the combat and death, otherwise you might kill one of the "chosen ones". What would you do if one of them were to die? In a way, I actually find the callousness of the elves more interesting than the human story, as it seems like them wiping out a huge portion of their race in the strive for utopia would be a fertile breeding ground for social revolution and stories.
The Violinist 05-29-07, 10:31 AM	Overall it seems relatively interesting. Not too horribly long either. I guess that you must play fairly light with the combat and death, otherwise you might kill one of the "chosen ones". What would you do if one of them were to die? I'm glad to hear that you liked it:) As for the death and combat thingy, it is somewhat a problem yes, but in addition, the players are pretty strong. Btw, the story leads up to a lot of them not surviving because of fights between the brethren, so after a while, death might occur more often (not that I desperatly WANT them to die). Also, there are about a dozen other players who play only in vacations as elven-support-characters, so "the chosen ones" aren't the only ones. In a way, I actually find the callousness of the elves more interesting than the human story, as it seems like them wiping out a huge portion of their race in the strive for utopia would be a fertile breeding ground for social revolution and stories. I haven't told half of the story about the humans yet... Didn't bother:P but the reason why Ceptima and the elves are so focused on is because the game has been somewhat improvised along the way, and since the story evolve around the elven continent, I want to give the players info about the elves to use in quests and stuff.