What do I want...hmm, a setting with any race and class and character concept. A world of monsters. I'm sick of that cleaner than history European feel.
This setting needs a name first off. Right... Two words are all I need, "Forgotten Realms", "Dark Sun", yeah, two.
The first word needs to show the style of play. I want this setting to be rough and ready, like a mad max high fantasy, something you can really throw together a gang of adventurers for and go hacking and slashing.
Thunder! Thunder is the first word in the title.
With the next word I want to create a general description of the world. Most dungeon crawls are dark and underground, so, simply... Ah, easy, below.
Um, I'll put a "the" in front of it though.
The Setting is called The Thunder Below!
Okay, here is the world's backstory, written as I make it up!
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Your ancestors were dragged down here from the Overworld to battle for the amusement of the Oldfair, terrible beings of immense power whose minds were inhuman and bodily form unknowable to the eyes of those that glimpsed them. It was and is a dank, cruel cavern of twisting, alien architecture and savage, ragged spires and open maws of billowing flame.
Your ancestors lived and died down here, somehow, between battles, managed to breed in this God forsaken pit and from those stolen lives sprung forth your lineage. Hundreds of years past, hundreds of faux wars fought was the Oldfair watched silently, hundreds of gladiators triumphed against the odds to receive nary a clap from their masters.
Every man and woman is a mongrel, every person alive a heady mix of countless races from across long forgotten expanses of the mythical Overworld. You eke out a living here as best you can, but the pitch dark tunnels, blood-stained amphitheaters and howling chasms are wrought with danger at every turn. But unlike those before you, you have a chance to change things!
The Oldfair vanished the day you and your like were born. Gone. Without fanfare or knowledge of why. But still, the Lords and Ladies of the Deeper Darks are gone, the saber shaped palaces lay empty, some already looted, and the colossal ebon thrones upon the sheer cliffs overgrown with fungus. They are gone! Now is the time to explore! Now is the Age of Renewal! Now is the time for you to take your people into civilization, to carve a home for them all, or for those with a hint of madness in their bravery... to escape the clutches of the Arkom forever!
Of course, there are those, weak and elderly, who, after a lifetime of battle, claim, with tired eyes and dry throat; how does anyone truelly know if the Oldfair have left?
Your ancestors were dragged down here from the Overworld to battle for the amusement of the Oldfair, terrible beings of immense power whose minds were inhuman and bodily form unknowable to the eyes of those that glimpsed them. It was and is a dank, cruel cavern of twisting, alien architecture and savage, ragged spires and open maws of billowing flame.
Your ancestors lived and died down here, somehow, between battles, managed to breed in this God forsaken pit and from those stolen lives sprung forth your lineage. Hundreds of years past, hundreds of faux wars fought was the Oldfair watched silently, hundreds of gladiators triumphed against the odds to receive nary a clap from their masters.
Every man and woman is a mongrel, every person alive a heady mix of countless races from across long forgotten expanses of the mythical Overworld. You eke out a living here as best you can, but the pitch dark tunnels, blood-stained amphitheaters and howling chasms are wrought with danger at every turn. But unlike those before you, you have a chance to change things!
The Oldfair vanished the day you and your like were born. Gone. Without fanfare or knowledge of why. But still, the Lords and Ladies of the Deeper Darks are gone, the saber shaped palaces lay empty, some already looted, and the colossal ebon thrones upon the sheer cliffs overgrown with fungus. They are gone! Now is the time to explore! Now is the Age of Renewal! Now is the time for you to take your people into civilization, to carve a home for them all, or for those with a hint of madness in their bravery... to escape the clutches of the Arkom forever!
Of course, there are those, weak and elderly, who, after a lifetime of battle, claim, with tired eyes and dry throat; how does anyone truelly know if the Oldfair have left?
Sects, guilds and tribes of The Thunder Below! (often all those things in one)
I'm just going to make up the basics of these right now using bullet points. More later!
Each Marauder is a large group of people that live life not just day to day like the rest of the people, but by a code. Living this way is very new to them and they will not have it mocked! Anyone can chime in with a idea by the way, this is just a thought thread. :P
Blackneck's Lot
- Life is chaos, to survive we must be chaos.
- Their "leader" is Blackneck Daniel, a skeleton hidden deep within their fortified home, he was a madman that hung himself years ago. Only the very highest ranking members have "spoke with" Daniel, and few outside the cabal believe he is anything more than a corpse.
- Most of them live in and around their heavily booby-trapped head-quarters, The Clocktower, a Oldfair construct filled with all manner of time, weather and tectonic measuring apperatus. All of which the Lot has smashed into uselessness.
Old Legion
- Conflict is the one constant.
- Glory and freedom can only be found in death.
- Take what you want, if someone can't keep what is theirs, is isn't theirs at all.
- They are very expansive, taking slaves and adding to their number at a steady rate, but their base is in a huge gladitorial arena.
Helmsmen
- The concepts of civilisation must be brought to all corners of the Arkom!
- We must teach all who will listen and learn all we can!
- They are prepared to fight. Based on old Athens?
- The Helmsmen own a large area of land, they can plenty of tribes living under their rule unlike Blackneck's Lot or Old Legion who only live with other members. Every tribe as a Speaker to tell the Helmsmen their views. They are perhaps the first democracy in Arkom.
Wardens of the Marble
- The wilds must be fought back to let civilisation spread.
- The people must be spared the horror of battle at all costs.
- Newly allied with the Helmsmen as their borders met.
- Proto-knights? They too have smaller tribes under them, but they keep a tighter watch on them and adults must do work for them from time to time. They are more like a monarcy or somthing in the sense that the people do not vote on what to do next.
Mombia's Mancatchers
- Get paid in food & items to hunt down people. Sounds like a good idea really.
- Half of all loot given and found is given to the Mancatchers, making them quite powerful.
- Over the past ten years they have been aligning themselves with the Helmsmen, the better standard of living their land has pleases them, they are often their body guards. But they are still just after loot.
- Mombia is a great fighter, but these days he just gets the missions for his gang and works out what they should be payed.
Free Runners
- Live free! Live with nature and all its glory. Learn the tounge of nature and it will be your ally.
- Beware false idols.
- Nomadic acrobat druids!
- They are old rivals of the Wardens.
Pretenders
- Secrets give you strength, seek them out.
- Wear many masks and have many names.
- Change is better than entropy.
Emerald Ardents
- Seek the pleasures of the world.
- Master your self; body and mind.
- Trust your instincts.
Crimson Ardents
- Experience everything that is to be had, pain and pleasure.
- Material wealth is the path to power, covert as much power as you can.
- The world is for those who seize it
- You can shape the world to your will.
Court of the Bokor
- Seek immortally.
- Its a kind of pyramid scheme. Only those at the top come anywhere close to living longer, if at all.
- Seek wisdom in the spirits. They become possessed by Loa by doing rituals.
- Vodun necromancers.
Incarnates
- Everything has a soul. Everything has a spark of divinity in them, the power to do what was once done. Everything has a hidden power, everything can become holy.
- They believe the myths of heroes and magic that have been passed down generation to generation.
The League of Architects
- Leave a legacy. Build something for the future.
- Learn to control the Oldfair artifacts.
- These guys believe the Oldfair are still out there!
- Inventors+smiths+conspiracy theorists
Kathrinists
- If a person wants power, he doesn’t deserve it, therefore none shall rule!
Bang! These look a-okay as concepts, I'll add to them when I get some feed back.
Races of The Thunder Below!
In this setting you can play any race, but I'm also going to outline some races for you to base your character on, but I won't be stating them. Most people are just a mix of many races, but some were specially bred by the Oldfair.
Hybrisans
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Otherwise called the Sculpted, they were taken by their Oldfair master, known as The Flesh Lord, and given striking, beautiful appearance for no reason other than to please him. Each of his original stock were reshaped by his power to perform well in one area, such as dancing, composing or playing music.
Many now travel the land just prove they can be something other than what their families preordained them, they are often fool-hardy and ready to do anything dared of them, but they’ll try to do it with style and flair. Highly competitive, Hybrisians teach their children to keep up with the ever changing world and to be the ones to change it.
They are prone to mild insanity, those that truly go over the edge however often seem to have a mystical insight, or so the Sculpted say.
Otherwise called the Sculpted, they were taken by their Oldfair master, known as The Flesh Lord, and given striking, beautiful appearance for no reason other than to please him. Each of his original stock were reshaped by his power to perform well in one area, such as dancing, composing or playing music.
Many now travel the land just prove they can be something other than what their families preordained them, they are often fool-hardy and ready to do anything dared of them, but they’ll try to do it with style and flair. Highly competitive, Hybrisians teach their children to keep up with the ever changing world and to be the ones to change it.
They are prone to mild insanity, those that truly go over the edge however often seem to have a mystical insight, or so the Sculpted say.
Gods of The Thunder Below!
The way I see it, most of the Gods have been passed down from Overworld times. They have changed and some have melted into a new god.
I'm just going to throw some names out and think how they fit togethor later. :]
Cormagg
The Berserker King, The Feral Son
Courage, Fire, Wrath, Renewal, Liberation
War, Protection, Honesty, Thoughtlessness, Sports
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Incubated in the womb of a dead mother within the depths of a deep swamp filled with demons, Cormagg has always had it tough. But he is the strongest, toughest and nimblest of all the Gods and completely fearless, so he doesn't care too much. He is the de-facto leader of the Gods, but in truth he is often tricked into following the will of his terrible father Tormay or convinced by his lover Bemoar that her way is the best course of action. He as a array of magical weapons he keeps about his person, each taken from a demon or another God, Cormagg can weild anything as if he has trained with it for years. One of his less voilent hobbies include sports such as chariot racing and javilin throwing; both of which he invented to pass the time between battles.
Incubated in the womb of a dead mother within the depths of a deep swamp filled with demons, Cormagg has always had it tough. But he is the strongest, toughest and nimblest of all the Gods and completely fearless, so he doesn't care too much. He is the de-facto leader of the Gods, but in truth he is often tricked into following the will of his terrible father Tormay or convinced by his lover Bemoar that her way is the best course of action. He as a array of magical weapons he keeps about his person, each taken from a demon or another God, Cormagg can weild anything as if he has trained with it for years. One of his less voilent hobbies include sports such as chariot racing and javilin throwing; both of which he invented to pass the time between battles.
Landscape & places of interest of The Thunder Below!
Beasts and bogarts of The Thunder Below!
More will be added tomorrow, I think I'll go for races. :]
If you don't mind Ill steal these idea's for my campaign... and Ill call it the Lightning Below!!! Muhahahaha
Ha, sure. It only took me five minutes to make! Keep watching the thread, I plan on updating tomorrow. :]
What do you like about it?
AWESOME IDEA, AWESOME WORLD!
Please update!
I also like the idea about the gods changing as the people did.
I hope you don't mind me yoinking some inspiration from here.
So lemme get this straight, I know you just wrote all that in one go but please make it easier to read tomorrow, evil demons stole thousands of people and made them fight for no reason.
AWESOME IDEA, AWESOME WORLD!
Please update!
I also like the idea about the gods changing as the people did.
Yep, got it in one matey. Thanks for the comments!
Some excellent(and quick!) ideas here.
I hope you don't mind me yoinking some inspiration from here.
No, go ahead, I'm only doing it because for the next week or so because the weather is really crap, so I'm stuck in most nights.
I've gotta know what you plan on taking though! :D
The Evil Overlords are a perfect picture of Illithids. Perhaps they disappeared or went into hiding because the Githzerai showed up. Heck, you could make Gith two major races, comprising two of your factions.
There should be two parts to the adventure - bringing light to the dark caverns and chambers of the immense underdark, and exploring for a Way Out. Finding the surface might be a major campaign in itself.
There should be different levels of technology and magic at different points of light in the darkness. This makes the campaign like a treasure hunt in some respects. Some people might not know about steel, but might have Warlock type powers, etc.
Again, a brilliant idea - easy for anyone to pick up the ball and run with it!
The Evil Overlords are a perfect picture of Illithids. Perhaps they disappeared or went into hiding because the Githzerai showed up. Heck, you could make Gith two major races, comprising two of your factions.
Hold on, maybe the illithids are only temporarily away because they're being challenged by the beings that are still Above somewhere. After a while, the illithids send a new race down to keep tabs on everyone. The PCs could then incite a revolt in this race, splitting them in two in the process, and thus create the two races during the campaign.
this is, as has been said, a brilliant idea. Some things I'd put in ...
The Evil Overlords are a perfect picture of Illithids. Perhaps they disappeared or went into hiding because the Githzerai showed up. Heck, you could make Gith two major races, comprising two of your factions.
There should be two parts to the adventure - bringing light to the dark caverns and chambers of the immense underdark, and exploring for a Way Out. Finding the surface might be a major campaign in itself.
There should be different levels of technology and magic at different points of light in the darkness. This makes the campaign like a treasure hunt in some respects. Some people might not know about steel, but might have Warlock type powers, etc.
Again, a brilliant idea - easy for anyone to pick up the ball and run with it!
Ah, I'm not going to say what the Oldfair are, but you could quite easily make them Mind Flayers!
But yeah, there should be differing technology levels in different places.
Thanks for the comments!
Hold on, maybe the illithids are only temporarily away because they're being challenged by the beings that are still Above somewhere. After a while, the illithids send a new race down to keep tabs on everyone. The PCs could then incite a revolt in this race, splitting them in two in the process, and thus create the two races during the campaign.
Theres another idea, the Oldfair are at war elsewhere. Thats definately a idea some of the Arkom people might have. Thanks for replying!
Phew, sadly I'm really tired from work, so I think my next real update will be Saturday.
Also in the old MMII there was an underground race called desmoundu. They worshipped bats i think. They sound like they'd fit, with a little conversion.
Also in the old MMII there was an underground race called desmoundu. They worshipped bats i think. They sound like they'd fit, with a little conversion.
You mean the desmodu, which were a race of half-bats (Daily Trivium: their name comes from the Latin desmodus, "bat"). Their riding bats and special equipment were pretty cool, actually, and they'd fit in really well.
Did you make this thread specifically for your world idea? Or was it a general invitation to try and make a world in five minutes? It seems like a really fun challenge.
Go for it! The results are surprising.:P
While I plan on updating this setting for a few weeks, its really just a general idea thread as I don't plan on fleshing out everything for it.
Right, good night everyone. I work too much.
If anyone uses these ideas, PM me about it!:D
A Wiki might be a very handy thing to have!
Bravo! Bravo!