Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Tiamat2 04-10-07, 06:20 PM	What follows will seem like its copied from Dragon's of Faerun, with Tchazzer replaced by an NPC of my own invention. I can only say that my campaign started long before Dragons of Faerun came out. Not all that many adventures in our last campaign took place in Chessenta, but the PC's did participate in some of the events that led to what follows. We are thinking of starting another FR campaign and so I wrote up a summary of this thread of the previous campaign and thought people might like to critique it. If not, this thread can just fade away. :) Chessenta under Tiamat An alternative history from late 1372 to early 1374 Capital: Cimbar Population: 3,400,000 (humans 82%, halflings 6%, dwarves 5%, half-orcs 4%, lizardfolk 2%) Government: Monarchy under Sceptaness Ariadne Corynien (LE human female Wiz10) Religions: Tiamat, Anhur, Assuran, Azuth, Lathander, Red Knight, Waukeen Alignment: N, CG, LN After a year and a half of war, Chessenta now stands nearly united under the Sceptaness Ariadne of Cimbar. Ariadne rose to power in Cimbar after a coup against the foreign-born Sceptaness imposed on the city by a reclusive shadow mage. With the aid of the powerful priestess of Tiamat, Alanthea (LE female half-elf cleric of Tiamat 12/Divine Disciple 2) and the mysterious wizard Tythan the Grey Mage (NE human Wiz16), Ariadne was able to consolidate most of the worshippers of Tchazzer (revealed to be merely a guise of the Dragon Queen) and other disaffected nobles into the Church of Tiamat. The Sceptaness’ campaigns against Airpur and Soorenar were aided by fifth-columnists within those two cities and the massive army of Akanax. Now only Luthcheq remains outside the Sceptaness’ grasp and she is confident that when Tiamat reveals herself to be Entropy, Luthcheq’s resistance will collapse. The distant city of Mordulkin is allied with Cimbar and nominally acknowledges Ariadne as Sceptaness, but secretly hopes her campaign for unification will stall before they need to make any real sacrifices. Airspur (22,000): The city of Airspur was the first to fall to the Sceptaness’ armies. The Green King, one of the chromatic dragons of the Five, led half of Cimbar’s army to lay siege to the isolated city-state. Undermined by a lack of support among the human population for their half-orc junta, the rulers of the city were defeated in the field and then quickly driven from the city after a brief siege. Airspur is currently ruled by the Exarch Sophicles (NG human male Ari4) appointed by Ariadne, though true power is with the priestess Teschele (LN Female Human Cleric of Tiamat), a former follower of Tchazzer who is skeptical of the evil bent of the Church of Tiamat. The Sceptaness’ forces are currently rebuilding the defenses of the shattered city and reestablishing Chessentan control of distant outposts in the west from the powerful Orc tribe that dominates the mountains that separate Chessenta from Chondath. Soorenar (74,000): Cimbar’s long-time rival was taken aback by the resurgence of Cimbaran power after the rise of Ariadne and was unable to mobilize its allies quickly enough before facing the combined power of Akanax and Cimbar. Cimbaran forces led by the Blue King Easeith, another of the Five, linked up with Akanax’s army under the warlord Hippartes after defeating a portion of Soorenar’s army. A great battle erupted on the plains of Soorenar between the three major armies and ended in the defeat of Soorenar when the clerics of Tchazzer that refused to join Tiamat and Cimbar suddenly found themselves deprived of their divine power. Combined with the defection of the clerics of Assuran, Soorenar’s army found itself overwhelmed. The city capitulated after several attacks by the dragons of the Five, unified on the same field for the first and only time during the campaign. Ariadne was lenient on Soorenar and after executing or exiling most of its ruling class, imposed the moderate Sir Philip (LN Human Male F9) as Exarch. The priestess of Tiamat supporting the Exarch is the shadowy Ophelia (NE Human Female Cleric of Tiamat 7) who prefers to remain behind the scenes. The city’s temple of Tchazzer is currently being converted to a temple for Tiamat and the city remains wary of the occupiers, especially as the combined army of Akanax and Cimbar remained camped nearby with the ending of the campaign season. Akanax (25,000): The alliance between Akanax and Cimbar pre-dated the rise of Ariadne to the throne of Tchazzer, but Akanax only recognized the sovereignty of the Sceptaness after heavy concessions were granted to King Hippartes (LN male human F19). Although many in Akanax resent their loss of nominal independence, Hippartes agreed to the deal after recognizing the opportunity existed to achieve glory on the field by leading the combined armies against Soorenar and Luthcheq. Hippartes received the title Warlord of Chessenta from Ariadne, who had no desire to lead the Chessentan army in the field and the ultimate promise by the Sceptaness that Hippartes would lead a great crusading army against Unther, just as Tchazzer had done. Hippartes’ advisors have attempted to forestall the gradual infiltration of their city by clerics loyal to Tiamat, but they have been unable to prevent a portion of the population being converted to her worship. The great victories the armies of Tiamat have won over long-time foes have only strengthened her presence in Akanax among a population that values martial prowess more than political niceties. Still, Akanax is largely unchanged from its pre-war days. The deities Tempus and Assuran remain dominant and political control is still in the hand of generals loyal to Hippartes. Most of the army has marched north with Hippartes, which has contributed to a bit of an economic revival. The heavy burden of feeding and supporting the largely conscripted force is now falling on the farmers and citizens of Soorenar’s surrounding countryside, which allowed for one of the larger fall harvests in Akanax’s recent history. Tiamat’s clerics, of course, have been quick to point this fact out to those willing to listen. Mordulkin (35,000): King Hecube (N male Human Wiz14) was a loyal member of the triple alliance between Cimbar, Akanax and Mordulkin, which he believed maintained the balance of power in Chessenta and contained the insane rulers of Luthcheq. He went to war with Soorenar with his allies, but has become concerned about the extent of the success won by Ariadne. Although willing to acknowledge her as Sceptaness of Chessenta, Hecube is not willing to actually give up any of Mordulkin’s independence. It was Mordulkin, after all, that caused the first disintegration of Chessenta into independent city-states when they defied Tchazzer’s weak successors. The Mordulkin army is currently stationed south of the city, ready to join in the coming spring campaign against Luthcheq. Although Hecube would like nothing more than to see the destruction of the Karanoks, he and his court are currently seeking alternative allies in case Mordulkin must resist the Akanax/Cimbar army after the seemingly inevitable victory. Given that cooperation with Luthcheq or Threskel is out of the question, it seems increasingly likely that Hecube will have to take whatever terms Ariadne offers in order to keep his throne, even if it means surrendering their sovereignty to the newly united Chessenta. Luthcheq (62,000): The city of Luthcheq remains in the grip of the Karanoks, though their hold is not as ironclad as it once was nor is it as tight as even they think. The Karanoks fanatically worship the god Entropy and have placed their dynasty’s hopes on this dedication. Unfortunately, Entropy is merely another guise of Tiamat and Ariadne is certain that when the time is right, Luthcheq will be deprived of its source of divine magic. With their ban on arcane magic already weakening their military, this loss is likely to be decisive. At present, the Luthcheq army is engaged in quelling internal uprisings by the panic-stricken citizenry. Whether or whether not their forces will be able to take the field in the spring to prevent Hippartes’ advance remains to be seen. Cimbar (111,000): The city of Cimbar is once again in ascendance in Chessenta, though this newest revival has a much darker edge than Cimbar’s past glory. The Church of Tiamat is ever-present as Sceptaness Ariadne is a fanatical devotee of the Dragon Queen and prior to her coup funded construction of the enormous Temple to Tiamat that has replaced the church of Tchazzer. A large statue of Tiamat in her humanoid form dwarfs most other religious icons in the city, portraying both the fey beauty and subtle menace of the Dark Lady. The Churches of Assuran (Hoar’s Untheric guise) and Tempus remain popular and Ariadne has not actively pursued a strategy of persecuting any of the faiths of the good deities such as Lathander that enjoy large followings in Chessenta. In fact, Ariadne’s persecutions have been most vicious against the followers of other evil gods, such as Bane and Loviatar. Politically, Ariadne enjoys widespread support. Her coup against Melisanda was favored by the nobles of the city as the coup of a native aristocrat against a foreign regime. Although many are wary of Tchazzer’s sudden transformation into Tiamat, few can doubt the successes Cimbar has enjoyed as a result of Ariadne and Alanthea’s machinations against Airpur and Soorenar. The Sceptaness continues to allow the old councils and assemblies to meet and even grants them great deference in local affairs. Ariadne’s attempts to further centralize the state have largely effected the rural populations between Cimbar and Airspur and between Cimbar and Soorenar. Some might grumble over the heavier tax burden under the new Sceptaness, but loot from the two captured enemy cities have largely negated any costs of the war. Beneath the city lurks the shadow dragon Sephrilitaxes, who still smarts from a minor defeat inflicted on her by a group of adventurers seeking to learn about the past of the Sceptaness. Sephrilitaxes is no ally of Tiamat's followers and now spends her time plotting revenge against the humans who raided her hoard of accumulated secrets. The extent of Ariadne’s ambition is known only to Alanthea and Tythan. The Sceptaness’ true goal is to use the forces of Chessenta to liberate Unther from Mulhorand. Although Tiamat values Chessenta as a base of operations, the Dragon Queen is most concerned with establishing herself as the dominant power in her “homeland” of Unther, something she was unable to do after being weakened in her struggle with Gilgeam and the subsequent invasion by Mulhorand.
redmagefish 04-11-07, 07:31 PM	seems like alot of typeing good job thought i like it
Tiamat2 04-11-07, 07:32 PM	seems like alot of typeing good job thought i like it Well I typed it somewhere else and pasted it here. :)
BadCatMan 04-11-07, 09:15 PM	That's great work. If we're sharing: http://www.rpol.net/display.cgi?gi=18453&gn=RoA+5:+Adventures&threadnum=48&date=1167712726 Though I started mine after DoF, and the game has only recently started, and I haven't changed much. One thing I have added so far: Gal (Small Town): (It was just a name on a map in Old Empires) The Akanal town of Gal is governed by a group of philosophers: three who have named themselves Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma in accordance with Gygaxes' Ability Score Theory, and their leader, the Great Mentos, who has spent the last year meditating in deep thought atop a pillar in the town square and cannot be woken. A few years ago, the philosophers deposed the previous tyrants, a triumvirate of warriors retroactively labelled Strength, Dexterity and Constitution. Since then they have rule the town with logic and reason, and so far effectively. The citizens are contented, though disinterested in the higher goals of the philosophers, and rumours abound that Mentos has been killed or disabled by his three students so that they could usurp his power. (Chessenta: This is Madness! :D )
Philalexandros 04-14-07, 08:54 AM	Nice work. I do have a question, though: are The Five detailed in Dragons of Faerun, or are they your plot device? If the latter, can you share some more details? :)
Tiamat2 04-14-07, 09:59 AM	Nice work. I do have a question, though: are The Five detailed in Dragons of Faerun, or are they your plot device? If the latter, can you share some more details? :) The Five were just my own creation (though I'm sure I've stolen the idea from somewhere and just forgotten the inspiration). They were five chromatic dragons (one of each type) that were either adult or young adult. They had pledged themselves to aid the Church of Tiamat in Chessenta in hopes of speeding up their acquisition of a treasure hoard. Like all evil dragons, though, they couldn't cooperate very well with each other and thus usually they had to be given different assignments. This meant that a mid-level party wasn't going to be overwhelmed by five dragons showing up at once, except at the conclusion of one adventure when the Five forced the surrender of Soorenar, but the party merely watched that event unfold. The Five were: The Blue King, Easeith (adult male blue dragon) The Green King, Vryunnisth (adult male green dragon) The Black Queen, Gheottyzth (adult female black dragon) The Red Queen, Aattyath (young adult female red dragon) The White King, Oustizth (young adult male white dragon) The Black Queen was killed by the party in the last adventure in Chessenta, when she was attempting to usurp the power of the Sceptaness by recovering an artifact from the early days of Tiamat being re-summoned to the realms. The others are still active in some way.
Philalexandros 04-14-07, 12:30 PM	Very nice concept. I certainly don't recall seeing its equivalent either in FR or in DL (though I'll admit I haven't perused many of their products in the last few years).
Tiamat2 04-16-07, 01:03 PM	I was considering posting my alternative Cormanthyr (which I actually posted 2 years ago, but have worked on extensively since then), but this thread is so dead, I won't bother. I like to get comments from people with superior knowledge of the Realms to clean up my summaries. I think the Cormanthyr reworking would be more controversial (it was before) than Chessenta.
Philalexandros 04-16-07, 06:14 PM	Hmmm, I'm not sure about that. Considering that a very recent trilogy just completely changed Cormanthyr from what we knew it as, I think this might be an *ideal* time to introduce a new viewpoint. I don't know what your vision of it is, but it might be appreciated by people who don't necessarily want it to revert to a bastion of the Elves.
GothicDan 04-16-07, 06:17 PM	If I recall Tiamat's idea correctly, she did want it to revert to a bastion of Elves.. Just thousands of Elves that tended towards LN and slight LE, which simply put, isn't logical for a laundry list of reasons. ;)
Tiamat2 04-16-07, 06:32 PM	If I recall Tiamat's idea correctly, she did want it to revert to a bastion of Elves.. Just thousands of Elves that tended towards LN and slight LE, which simply put, isn't logical for a laundry list of reasons. ;) You do recall mostly correctly. I'm actually flattered, because that thread has been long deleted (or whatever happened to all old threads). :) The ruler and some members of his inner circle were LN/LE, but the elves behind him were CN/CG. My idea predates the current trilogy and essentially focused on a very, very intricate plot to eliminate the Drow in Cormanthor. The idea (well, the ruler) actually pre-dates my using of the Realms at all and its taken a long time to work all the aspects of the plot into some semblance of a Realms arc. It still doesn't sit very well with a lot of elements and it probably never will. The players who participated in isolated threads of the story as a campaign weren't very thrilled with it. I own most of the books available on elves for Faerun (the 2e Cormanthyr, 2e Evermeet, Lost Empires of Faerun are the ones I've read in any detail) and my vision fits much better with the presentation of Elves during the Crown Wars than during the era of the Srinshree and the strange new government of Amlaruil (who is a "queen") and the Elven Court.
Philalexandros 04-16-07, 07:28 PM	Most interesting.
GothicDan 04-16-07, 07:38 PM	Tiamat, you're correct in your assertion that your kingdom seems more reminiscent of some of the Elves during the Crown Wars. I would love to see it as somehow being a fragment of an ancient corrupt Elven Realm (perhaps a group of Aryvandaar frozen in time, backed by members of House Vyshaan), that was brought back recently.
Tiamat2 04-16-07, 07:44 PM	Tiamat, you're correct in your assertion that your kingdom seems more reminiscent of some of the Elves during the Crown Wars. I would love to see it as somehow being a fragment of an ancient corrupt Elven Realm (perhaps a group of Aryvandaar frozen in time, backed by members of House Vyshaan), that was brought back recently. When I read Lost Empires of Faerun, I actually morphed my "hero" into one of the three lost sons of the Vyshaanti, which, of course, made his background a little more fuzzy, since he had now been alive thousands of years (I had always intended him to be very old, but not quite that old). Still that seemed a very good way to integrate him into the Realms easier. I had never heard that element to the Fifth Crown War before, though, and it seemed perfect.
GothicDan 04-16-07, 08:32 PM	I am pretty sure it was an entirely new element. I'm far from a fan of House Vyshaanti (more Durothil), but it was certainly a good plothook.
Tiamat2 04-16-07, 08:35 PM	I am pretty sure it was an entirely new element. I'm far from a fan of House Vyshaanti (more Durothil), but it was certainly a good plothook. The insanity of the rulers of Aryvandaar make them far from the ideal "heroes" or "villains", but their success prior to the end of the Crown Wars makes them at least somewhat intriguing (at least until you read the nonsense about Malkizid that came later, I think). My ideal elven state in simplified terms has always been a slightly darker version of Silvanesti (the only element of DR that I find superior to either the core setting, Greyhawk, or FR; even Mystra is better than three different gods of magic).
GothicDan 04-17-07, 08:32 AM	I REALLY like the Silvanesti Elves, too. The Sun Elves are very similar, but I think have a little more culture attached to them. Pre-Vyshaanti Aryvandaar would have been cool to know about, though. And the Malkazid crap is just that: crap.
Stigger 04-17-07, 08:37 AM	And yet canon... *ducks and runs from the thread*
Tiamat2 04-17-07, 11:54 AM	And yet canon... *ducks and runs from the thread* No one disputed that, but unlike the Chosen of Mystra (ah, old wounds), its bit easier to leave out an obscure devil mostly detailed in one source.
ShadezofDis 04-17-07, 02:29 PM	Tiamat, I like the write up, don't know enough about Chessenta to really make any comments about the feesibility of your vision though. :) Glad you're sticking around though, I was a bit concerned the other thread drove you from the boards.
BrennonGoldeye 04-17-07, 02:39 PM	Nah, tough cookie that Tiamat2. :) I also offer kudos. Very nice. :dragon:
Stigger 04-17-07, 04:41 PM	No one disputed that, but unlike the Chosen of Mystra (ah, old wounds), its bit easier to leave out an obscure devil mostly detailed in one source. Oh I know, I just like poking Dan with that stick on occassion. ;) It is a good write up by the way. I really don't care for Chessenta unfortunately, just can't quite get into them, but I'd probably blatantly rip you off if I did care for the locale, for what its worth. :)
Tiamat2 04-17-07, 04:55 PM	Tiamat, I like the write up, don't know enough about Chessenta to really make any comments about the feesibility of your vision though. :) Glad you're sticking around though, I was a bit concerned the other thread drove you from the boards. My vision has been pretty much "adopted" by Dragons of Faerun and the writeup on Tchazzer, its just that they are using Tchazzer to unify Chessenta. Its a little disappointing to me to see this re-emphasis of Tiamat as the Dragon Queen, because one reason I liked the Faerunian Tiamat better than any other presentation is that in Faerun Tiamat was more than just a big dragon, worshipped by the occasional evil dragon. The Year of Dragons weakened that version of Tiamat considerably. I wish they hadn't deleted most older threads, because then I could really look like I didn't just rip-off Dragons of Faerun and replace the lead with my own NPC.
Philalexandros 04-17-07, 05:01 PM	Don't feel bad--I've been tinkering with a "different" Chessenta for some time now. If I posted my material now, I'd look twice as bad as you--assuming your material was bad to begin with, which is not the case. :)