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#1 silveryfox_dup Jun 04, 2009 14:23:51	Hi, I thought I should share my ideas for my current campaign and see if I can get some input. Warning! Quite long and possibly not very reader friendly (I'm swedish...) Background I won't go into details but when the Mulan deities arrived at Faerûn and war ensued between the slave-people and their former masters only few imaskari survived. In canon the survivors created the secure city of Deep Imaskar in the Underdark. And I think Halaster Blackcloak is one as well? In my campaign the Imaskar empire had a few more notable survivors. 1: A small colony in the Sea of Fallen Stars. This was overrun not long after the war, and the history surrounding it is what most historians know about the ancient war. 2: Madryoch "The Ebon Flame", Born over 5000 years ago and is believed to be among the first Imaskari who dabbled with Shadow Magic and the Plane of Shadow. In my Forgotten Realms it was he who saved the Netherese people and commands their floating city (who hasn't yet appeared in the material plane). Also, I have strengthened the Imaskaris hate for gods. After the war, they abandoned gods even more and became the first Ur-Priests. In Deep Imaskar it is custom to study the arcane as you suck the gods of their powers. Their ultimate goal is to cast down all the gods and rise up once more as the great empire that once was. So in short, the Imaskari is the pre-epic villains. Thus far, they have infiltrated the Telflammar Shadowlords and are beginning to scout out the Underdark. Their first goal is the destruction of the Mulhorandi pantheon and then the enslavement of their people. Short synopsis of the beginning... Mulhorandi clerics has since the ascension of the current pharaoh been searching for mortals with the Mulhorandi divine spark. Not that they (all at least) seek to replace him, but they have been experimenting with methods to raise the fallen pharaohs, fallen avatars and long dead God-kings. All the characters have this spark. Unbeknownst to them they live their lives, possible across the world from Mulhorand. The clergy of Mulhorandi has tracked them down and captured them. Putting them in stasis they are experimenting with ways to use their divine heritage to awaken their fallen leaders. When the prologue begins the characters have been in stasis on and off for three years and only remember glimpses of what has happened. Their own past feels like distant, blurry memories. When they awaken they hear a voice in their heads, a divine order to awake and unshackle themselves. Meanwhile a lone paladin rides to their rescue. Only his divine vision speaks of three children who need his help. What to make of their number of four is sure to raise some questions. Escaping the desert complex and travel the Mulhorandi land is down time and will result in them finding a safe haven at a farm with the paladin watching over them, sure that they are meant for some great deed. The characters Three of them have Mulhorandi gods as their ancestors (Set, Osiris and Isis), the fourth has some other divine spark, in this case Shar. The reason for this is for the characters to debate over the fact that this savior paladin only had a vision of three, when they are four. Also, when the Imaskari set their plan in motion, Selûne are the first to fall, how the character will influence that, isn't decided, but I think that I will have time to work out something cool. When the characters hit level 3, they had visions and was granted a divine spell to cast once per day. The Set-blooded one got Fear, for example. Now they are level 4 and I'm not sure what to give them the next time, I want to hint at their heritage and give rp-opportunities rather then give them an edge in battle. Here is an example of the hand-out they got at level 3: Unlocked potential You don’t know why but as you yourself grow, an alien surge fill your body. Your mind is swallowed by visions, flashes covering your sight, sounds deafening you to the rest of the world. • A golden palace stretches out before you, sand colored servants bowing before you. • A black snake, coils closer, moving towards a mummified figure with a white crown. • Chants accompany the smoke that rises from the grave, a shadowy figure standing up on unsteady legs. As soon as they appeared, your visions fade and you find yourself feeling more whole, but at the same time just as if you lost something. When you calm yourself down you feel a new power at your disposal, some inborn talent you can’t explain. You gain the ability to use Sanctuary 1/ day as a spell-like ability at caster level equal to your own level. The World The Mulhorandi wage war against Unther and has soon captured all. The Cult that captured the characters are searching for them, to continue the experiments. Other Clerics are looking for "the Dawn-children", prophecy speak of the walkers of the Road to the Dawn (an actual road in Mulhorand) that are going to save Mulhorand from some ancient enemy. Already seeds from the Imaskari spies are in motion. The characters has themselves seen the work in Cormyr, which will weaken the state and make it easy for the coming Shades to capture the land. Adventures The characters settle down in the small town of Winter's Edge in Daggerdale after escaping the desert complex in Mulhorand. For a year they live out on a small farm, the characters still only teenagers. The small village consists mainly of hunters but sees alot of support from the local lordling. The son of a traitor who turned Randall Morn his back during the rebellion, after the war Randall Morn executed the father but wanted to stabilize the Dale so installed his promising son. Uhmm, this will take time, I will only write out specifics if anybody is interested. Imaskar This is the reason I created this thread, to incorporate this ancient Empire in a good way. Where can I find information about them? I have googled, read in Fallen Empires, Underdark and the Campaign setting... There seems to be hard to find info about them, seems to be Netheril here and Netheril there Have much history has survived surrounding their rise and fall? How hard should it be to find? Who has the information? The characters have by chance stumbled upon an ruined Imaskar ruin now and will explore it next. I have trouble making an convincing very ancient dungeon. Thus far I have given the place a Spellward to punish divine magic, causing it to backfire on a failed caster level check. I also tried to further my take on their connection to the Plane of Shadow by giving the place golems controlled by Shadows. As the years have passed the golems have crumbled, leaving only their wandering Shadows (Shadows and Shadow Mastiffs, to give the characters a suitable challenge whilst preserving the feeling that this place once had far more potent guardians. I'm toying with the idea of giving them some artifact, perhaps an intelligent item, a few millenia old or something, to give them more information about the Empire. Uhmm, so what do I want..? Spontaneous ideas. Imaskar facts. Own experiences. I really need input. All ideas are appreciated. Maybe my rumblings are hard to follow, if so I will try to write out more soonish.
#2 lord_karsus Jun 04, 2009 15:24:40	-3e books have the most detailed information on Imaskar. Of them, Unapproachable East, Underdark, Lost Empires of Faerûn, and A Grand History of the Realms are going to be the most informative and most relevant. -The novel Darkvision also has quite a few little tidbits of information on Imaskar, having two Deep Imaskari protagonists, and taking place, partially, in Imaskari ruins in the Raurin Desert, as well as a demiplane created by the Imaskari.