[Information] Earthen History/Information

[jj_wolven]

Short Version The world is a dangerous place. Demons, dragons and aberrations wander through the countryside of the Wild, where you have to be strong or clever to survive. There is a rumor of a war millennia ago that destroyed the world, opening rifts that brought in these creatures. Little is known of the Old War as any records are lost to time, but artifacts and technology remain as clues. It has only been a few hundred years since people started gathering above ground into communities and cities for defense against the creatures left behind. They built fortification from the ruins left behind and developed the simple magic that they had been using to survive. Less than a hundred years later, a curious mind tried to emulate the artifacts of the old age, but unlike those that had originally developed the artifacts magic was used to develop this new technology. During that time, mechanics has developed into a combination of physics and the arcane into the steam works of today. Even now, they aren't very widespread as most are large, noisy and expensive. Today’s world is a dangerous place where the world is overrun with creatures left from the Old War. The wilds of the world are place people do not venture lightly. The outsiders control much of the world, but people feel that they are starting to regain control. Only in the last decade have people started venturing out of their towns, and many of those never return. The world is still overrun with the vile creatures. Occasional caravans travel between cities when desperate and they travel very well protected, returning less than half the time.

Long Version Thrown back to the iron ages, the world is starting to progress back toward technology. During the last world war a new weapon was integrated, magic. Magic was used with weaponry to augment both the damage and the defense, grinding the war to a standstill. In the experimentation to devise new weapons, a rift was opened and a being came through. Unknown to the mages, this being was a demon. The demon promised to show them new ways to use magic and they agreed, ignoring that this seemed too good to be true. Other rifts were opened as other beings came through, bringing their own wars to earth. Demon, devils, and celestials manipulated the war to carry on their own eternal wars on earth using the humans as pawns. Other outsiders and elementals were summoned or brought into this was as it progressed, by humans and by the original outsiders. The new arrivals helped to teach the fighting forces to use magic to augment weapons to greater degrees. After decades, the power of the weapons grew far beyond control. It was then that the otherworldly creatures misjudged the ferocity of the human spirit as they each counter attacked the other with all of the firepower they had. Magically augmented weapons obliterated entire populations and cultures. The entire world was blown back to the iron ages as weapons factories were targeted and the population of the world was annihilated, reduced to the merest fraction of what it was. With this destruction, the other worldly being no longer saw this as a good place for their war with so few pawns and weapons available. The majority of these being moved on to different battlegrounds, but they left behind the vast number of creature that they had brought in from other planes. Some of the outsiders saw this as a place they could control and stayed. The remaining humans fled to where ever they could escape to, hiding in caves, mountains, or just remaining always on the move. The augmented radiation from the multitude of explosion had saturated everything, the earth, the sea, even the air. This radiation allowed interbreeding among many of the creatures brought into the world by the warring being, leading to what are now known as dwarves, gnomes, orcs, and all manners of other creatures. As the millennia passed since the days that destroyed the world and the weaker populations were driven underground and back to the stone age. Two hundred years ago people started gathering into communities and cities for defense against the creatures left behind. They built fortification from the ruins left behind and developed the simple magic that they had been using to survive. Nearly a hundred years later, a curious mind tried to emulate the artifacts of the old age, but unlike those that had originally developed the artifacts magic was used to develop this new technology. For those hundred years, mechanics has developed into a combination of physics and the arcane into the steam works of today. Today’s world is a dangerous place where the world is overrun with creatures left from the Old War. The wilds of the world are place people do not venture lightly. The outsiders control much of the world, but people feel that they are starting to regain control. Only in the last decade have people started venturing out of their towns, and many of those never return. The world is still overrun with the vile creatures. Occasional caravans travel between cities when desperate and they travel very well protected, returning less than half the time. This campaign uses a mixture of rules from Steampunk settings (available on www.rpgnow.com) as well as a number of house rules. If you have specific questions, please ask.

-me

[jj_wolven]

More background
The game starting characters will be from the west coast area, in or near San Francisco (now a small city). Farms/residences do not range farther than a mile or two out from the city walls, and get attacked on a regular basis. People don’t travel much; it is the best way to end up dead. The most common travelers are mercenaries, who are usually good people who frequently get rewards for helping as well as payment for services such as guarding and hunting, but their life expectancy is quite low.
The technology available is limited to items with Craft (steamworks) requirement of 6 or less (by Steam & Steel).

People have only gotten organized into cities in the last couple hundred years using magic, technology, or a combination to carve a stable place back into the world for them. Ninety five percent of people know absolutely nothing about what the world was before the Last Day (day that destroyed the world) and don’t care to. The only extent that people know is that magic and technology helped to cause this, nothing more. The ONLY people who know anything of the war itself or before are very specialized historians (requires Knowledge (Demon War) for the war, and Knowledge (Ancient History) or bardic knowledge with a DC modifier of +20)
The world is still riddled with the results of the war from so long ago. Demons, celestial, mutants, things, and worse wander the world. This has led to very little communication between settlements. The most contact is between very close settlements, such as the dwarves in the mountains, elves and gnomes in the forests, etc.

There is fuzzy alignment just like real world, so there are crossbreeds, part celestial, part fiends, part who-knows-what, mutants, dragons, and just about anything else due to the many portals opened and the odd radiation from combined magic/technology radiation. Some of this has faded, but much hasn’t.


Why you are here:
There have been rumor of a large settlement of people somewhere to the east. The rumors have had little else to say, but the local expert of ancient history has found reference to the city of York far to the east. The council has put a call out for a group to explore this to see what there is to this rumor. You have answered that call and are to meet at the main keep on the specified day.

-me

[jj_wolven]

More background

Cities are few and far between. Any towns that cannot mount a decent wall have long since been overrun. Even the towns with walls were regularly slaughtered until the advent of steamworks (100-150 years ago), which helped to hold off the creatures. Even after it was still difficult.
Strangers are rarely trusted, as a number of the vile things can shapechange.

People who live outside of the towns rarely live farther than a few miles away, and they come to town regularly if only to reassure the rest of the folk they are still alive and not a shapechanged creature.

Even though steamworks advances very very slowly, its initial conception was taken up quickly by most and has changed much. (best to read about it if you get a chance to get Steam & Steel)

Mercenaries: not the same connotation that most campaigns have. Mercenaries are usually good people that have taken to going out of their way to help other. They rarely have a set "price", but it has become traditional to "reward" them based on what they have done. They are well liked by almost everyone and seen as heroes. Most of them are well known townspeople, since it is rare to travel very far. Mercenaries that come from somewhere other than the city they are currently in are treated suspiciously until they prove themselves. Once they have proven themselves they are treated as heroes and accepted as much as hometown mercs, the attitude of people going from suspicious to heroic nearly overnight.

-me

[jj_wolven]

Maybe this will help. A very simple (and quick) map of the west coast. I am still setting up my mapping program, so this is my Paint rendition.

-me

[jj_wolven]

MONEY:

Money (meaning gold pieces, silver pieces, etc) is worth whatever usefulness it has for the person you are dealing with. Barther is the most common form of purchase, be it for goods or services. If someone is in need of gold for a project, they will take your gold pieces by weight and probably melt them down.

For ease of playing (kinda), I will try to give a common base - most likely using spell components that are consistant in casting.
(3.5e: usually use 100gp pearl for base <identify>)
(PF: usually use 25gp worth of silver for base <bless water>)

-me

[jj_wolven]

Characters who join after the start will be from a different city with similar conditions. There will be slight modification based on the city, but similar living conditions are throughout the country.

-me

[jj_wolven]

San Francisco

Holder

-me

[jj_wolven]

Colorado Springs (Population 260,000 40% human, 20% gnome, 10% dwarf, 10% halfling, 5% elf, 15% other) Colorado Springs is an underground community, with little more than a defensible wall and two or three simple buildings above ground. It is located in what everyone has assumed to be an ancient underground bunker lined with an unknown alloy that is nearly 50 miles in diameter, with the city laid out in the same material for housing and industry. Nearly three quarters of that land is setup to support those living there; industry, manufacturing, crops, animals, open fields (soldiers currently use them for training), and unknown things, etc. The other quarter is preconstructed housing, all build nearly identical in their alloy structure though people have added their own touches in wood and other decoration. The ceiling is over a mile overhead, with the shaft to the surface another mile above that with an elevator supported on beams of force transporting people up. The shaft leads to a large opening hidden in one of the open areas, sealed by magic and covered by illusions. There is a permenant dimensional anchor on the entire complex above and below ground. The "ground level" building contain mostly housing and the necessities of living (crops, shops, industry, etc) with a few buildings and fields for the military and their training. The military consists of a standing army tens of thousands strong, with those that do not have families living in barracks one and two levels lower. The military stores of weapons are also on that level along with hordes of emergency rations. On the levels below that are the rooms that contain the inner workings of the underground city; controlling the air circulation and exchange, artificial sunlight, water works facilities, and waste management. While no one completely understands how these things work, a few know enough to fix any issues that come up though that is rare. These lower levels also contain a number of laboratories where many of the technologies were found, taken apart and used for salvage for what became steamworks. Many of the labs are still marked as unpassable as they contain things that have grown, and technologies out of control. On rare incidences mercs will "clear" one lab at a time, often taking heavy casualties as unknown gasses are released and mutated things from when these labs were build millenia ago. The reward for such mercs are great; including wealth, status, and the occational discovery of new technologies. These areas are off limits to the general public. At the lowest explored level there is a twenty foot high enchanted adamantium vault door, with two soldiers on guard at all times with communication stones always active. Everyone is told about this door because of the danger, as it leads to tunnels that go deeper into the mountain and the earth, into the Underdark. There are stories of the rare times these doors have been opened, and the reason they are closed. Of the dozens of expeditions that have been sent through the door, none have returned intact. There have only been two people that have returned alive after going further than a half mile in. One, a gnome, was completely insane when he returned, babbling hiding in every nook and cranny that he could find until he died of a heart attack after looking straight up at nothing and screaming. The other was found unconscious and barely alive by another group heading in. This half-elf was covered in claw and puncture marks as well as odd bruising that got darker as time went. He was quiet until he finally went to the surface and was never seen again. Everyone in the city has trained either as a soldier, as support if they cannot fight, or most often as both. The relatively frequent attacks by those in The Wild are usually repulsed at the walls on the surface, and the reason that everyone is trained. When the combat becomes bad, the people can fall back into the shaft until the creatures have left or can reclaim the overcity later.

Normal Situation Aboveground FYI, here is what it is normally like aboveground since the city is almost completely underground: Roughly a dozen building stocked with a decent supply of food, water, medical supplies, personal weaponry, and a few regular ballistas. There is a minimal stock of magical supplies; mostly low level healing (20-30 potions) and oils of bless. Normally there is a single squad of roughly 20 men stationed on the walls surrounding these buildings (5 per side patrolling). There are also two men who know how to work the lift, but are not near it so it remains hidden. The buildings are otherwise emptry.

-me

[jj_wolven]

Goliath camp: Hiruuzan (Population 230,000 approx: 78% goliath, 12% gnome, 5% dwarf, 5% other) The Goliaths are a mobile tribe the size of a large city. They have four "campsites" that they rotate around in the mountains, staying indeterminate times ranging from days to as long as a year and with no pattern as to which they will go to next. Spells are also cast after they camp to disguise it subtley so it is not obvious from afar, using as little spell power as possible so that is not noticed either. They retain a loose tribal leadership in addition to an advising council. All races are welcome in these sites that are non-demon/devil/most abberitions. Demons, devils, and most aberritions are killed on sight, as are some known-violent other creatures. CITY LIFE: The nomadic city itself has all of the resources of normal cities thanks to it's size for the variety and the innovations in the use of mostly druidic magic to allow for crops and protection. The buildings are a mix of tents, semi-mobile buildings, and seemingly permentant structures that are actually grown out of the ground using spells and can be dismissed as easily when they move. None of the building rise above two stories, and even that is a rarity, leading to a city with a wide spread. Libraries and schools, in a formal fashion, do exist but it was something added outside of the original founders as the druidic traditions did not have such formalities. Of particular note in the libraries is that all of the bookshelves are identical in size; just under ten feet wide and just under ten feet tall. Each set of bookcases (two back to back) has a portable hole folded above it that can be quickly 'packed' either for moving or during an attack so that the literature will survive in case of destruction of the building. ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT: Originally based on druidic traditions and survival, there is no standard currency and little bartering for basic necessities. Everyone is expected to contribute and it is quickly spread if they do not, causing the providers of other services to shun them. When the shunned person starts contributing again, they are immediately back in good graces and receive what they need. This method surprisingly works in the city, in spite of it's sheer size, as it is proactively supported by everyone. Lenience is given for those who have suffered recently, those physically unable to do any work (rare), and for the rare newcomers once they have been determined to be safe; giving them a month to recover, a month of warning, then not receiving support. Those unable to work mentally or physically are left to the care of their family to support if they can, the druids keeping the traditions of nature in mind. Bartering is done for the non-essentials; finery, jewels, extra food, better homes, drinking, etc. The materials to barter with are gained by additional work done beyond the basic necessities. For example, the tailor makes plain good work clothes that fulfills the basic needs he will not charge for and he will be provided with the necessities, but the high quality fancier clothing he will trade for. TECHNOLOGY: Based on the druidic traditions of the goliaths, the technology has not advanced as quickly or been accepted as well as in other cities. While steamworks and other technologies do exist here, they are relatively rare with only one out of one thousand making significant use of them and only a few that can build or repair them. Even then, only the simplest of steamworks (with Requirements of Craft(steamworks) 5 ranks or less) can be constructed. One the other hand, the 'technology' of druidic magic has been greatly developed in the constant conflict and survival of this city. New spells and applications of spells have been developed and those who can use druidic magic (at least it's simplest spells) are relatively common. Also they have adopted many other nature-based styles of casting. SECURITY: At least one military soldier can be seen from every moderate sized street or location at any time night or day. This diligence has saved the city many times over the centuries and kept it safe. In spite of a constant military presence, the city is very casual as the respect of living ones own live has grown from both the druidic traditions the city was founded on and the constant risk of life. As long as it does not affect a person's public duties or risk other's lives they are left to do as they wish. Additionally, as part of the maintenance of the city the Protectors keep continual spells that prevent all planar travelling and teleportation within the city and 1000' feet outside of the walls. MILITARY: There is a large military in the city, though no one minds it as if keeps them safe. While no one is forced to join the military, most do as young adults as they are raised with the knowledge that they will have to defend their city at some point in their life. Rather than risk incompetance in combat and risking themselves and the people they have grown up with (or were saved by) most will volunteer. The Goliaths have several speacialty groups. 1. Protectors: A sect of druids dedicated to the protection of their tribe through natural means. Their duties include the setup of campsites, the creation and maintenance of the paliside walls and spikes, the maintenance of the camoflage, and assistance in the defense during attacks. In these duties they are very serious, but when not actively on duty it is difficult to tell these from other goliath in their informality and games. 2. Seekers: A semi-formal group of rangers and scouts that often travel outside of the encampment. It is their duty to identify threats before they reach the encampment, warn the encampment when necessary, and eliminate threats if they can. While they have no formal leadership, they follow the orders of Ganrik, a middle aged goliath (Ranger 16) of great skill and vision. They are often more reserved and stoic than the other goliath in the encampment due to the things they have seen and dealt with outside the encampment. 3. The Force: A small group of highly effective combatants from all classes, never actually named but always referred to as The Force. They maintain numbers less than 12, but are a force to be feared even by much larger armies. They are highly organized, trained, and deadly maintained as a special force for dire need. Due to their often ruthless tactics, they use simple disguises when active so others do not know them.

-me

[jj_wolven]

Unfinished - there may be frequent updates to this.

Kansas City (Population 1+ million 55% humanoid (human, half-orc/elf, dwarf, elf, halfling, etc), 10% other free standard, 20% demon/devil, 10% aberration, 5% raksasha, 10% other BBE/slave/chattel) A sprawling city over eighty miles in diameter, nearly 1000 sq miles, that sits on the edge of The Cut. The population is segregated into several areas of the city, each with a walled territory. The standard humanoid population is completely mixed, having been forced to rely on each other for centuries. The other parts of the city are each segregated into their own areas; demons, devils, raksasha, aberration, and even a large section that is live as one can and another where nearly all of the different peoples mix. The city is much larger than the population, leaving large areas of dilapidated buildings and crushed battleground areas. It seems that part of the city was either destroyed or fallen into The Cut, as the building go right to the edge with some half destroyed buildings and some leaning precariously over the edge. The city is always in a state of mild tension, with common bouts of escalating tension between the different segmented factions. This tension frequently leads to armed conflict between the different groups, usually caling down after the cause has been "dealt with" and any overly offended dead. Or when one side takes too many losses and fades off. The "weaker" standard races survive these conflicts with the more powerful races with merciless gurulla tactics and other less kind techniques. They often do much more than 'merely' kill the others, often doing horrible things to get their point across. They know they are inferior to the more powerful creatures and use their superior number along with these tactics to shorten conflict and survive. Additionally, the standard races are respected for their ingenuity of both tactics, technology and magic. The major conflicts happen 3-4 times per year, with periods of tense acceptance between. City Sections: The Bric - Humanoid Residential/Industrial. Pop. ~430,000 Humans, half-orcs, dwarves, elves, halflings, gnomes, shifters, goblins, hobgoblins, half-humans...the weaker creatures of the world live and work here in a mix of races that are deadly enemies in other sections fo the world, working together with none of the racial tensions otherwise known. This cooperation is the only way they have survived against the city. More often than not, the people live in what seem to be squalor with their buildings and houses often looking like they are about to fall. There is usually a better appointed living area further in the residence, better suited for the particular style of living of the particular race. The heavy mingling of races has made a large population of mixed blood, to the point where anyone in the city of any humanoid race has the blood of another race in their lineage...if they ever cared to check. The Blade & Rose - Elemental Residential/Industrial. Pop 5000 Named for the unusual building that stands at the entrance to the area, an ancient building a hundred feet tall filled with thousands of small rooms, though very few live there now. The building is unusually tall and slender, like a blade, and the only piece left of the sign in front is a symbol that vaguely resembles a stylized rose. It leads to a section of the city that is further divided into elemental section of fire, earch, water and air as well as paraelemental sections where they meet. It is very rare for any large scale assaults in this area as each region is generally inhospitable except for those living there. Derlithan - Demon/Devil Residential/Industrial. Pop. 100,000 Each type of creature nests in opposite corners of this section of the city, keeping far enough to make their own section but near enough to keep an eye on each other. The center of this district is a section that not only leads to The Cracks just to the North, but is a few hundred yards of territory that sees even more battles than that ravaged area. The Cracks - Demon/Devil/Raksasha borderland/battlegound. A wasteland within the city, full of half destroyed buildings and massive cracks in the ground. This twenty mile wide section of the city has been laid low into a nightmarish wasteland of urban warfare between the more powerful residents of the city. Demons and devils wage their eternal battles here, as often fighting raksasha and other powerful armies. Ultharian Halls - Raksasha residential. Pop. 5000 A small section of the city, a mere mile at it's widest, is the residence of the raksasha lords. Large mansions built with fluted towers and high elegent walls, the raksasha lords live in luxury on the backs of their enslaved servents. Ultharian Valley - Mixed residential/industrial. Pop 30,000 The poverty stricken living and working area of the slaves and lower class to the raksasha lords. Here is where everything is done before being taken to the Halls, slave labor powering all of it. This section of the city surrounds the Ultharian Halls, providing a buffering ground between the raksasha mansions and the other hostile areas of the city. The Walk - Mixed marketplace. An enigma in the city, no conflict has occured here beyond raised voices and a few blows. Though centuries of tradition and consent between all residents in Kansas City no combat occurs in this area of the city, anything escalating to that level being dragged out by everyone else and deposited outside of this area. There are few that actually do their work here, but thousands upon thousands bring their wares built in the other sections of the city to this marketplace. Here efreeti shopkeepers will yell and curse across the road at dwarven smiths selling their wares, but will sell their goods to any who will purchase. Nearly anything can be found if one is willing to work with some of the most despicable in the world and the price is right. Dwarven armor, swords made by fire elementals, magic from djinn, raksasha crafted clothing...all of these are available here for any to purchase if nowhere else in the world.

-me

[jj_wolven]

Unfinished - there may be frequent updates to this.

Kalbee (Population 10,000 approx: 60% human, 15% dwarf, 15% elf, 11% other) Kalbee is a small unwalled town on the midwestern plains 200 miles east of the mountains, and 350 miles west of Kansas City. For several miles around the city itself, there is nothing but natural animals. DAILY LIFE: Kalbee receives relatively regular contact with Kansas City, though even that is limited to once every few months. There is news of other cities to the west, though those are particularly rare as there is a thick forest to the west that is dangerous and the route around is long. The city is self sufficient in most ways, though a few specialty items are more difficult to get, with most of the basic trades covered in or near the main city. The Standing Stones are spaced far enough away from the city to allow for some of the fields to be inside the safety border, though numerous fields are still within an hour ride outside. There are trips outside the Standing Stones, but overnight trips are short and only happen once or twice a month. They are well guarded and frequently return early as there is an encounter or attack of some sort nearly half the time. TECHNOLOGY: Kalbee mostly employs basic medieval technology, but have began using firearms and steam technology over the last few decades. Steam: Steam technology is used for a few task but growing; such as milling, pulling, simple tractors. Firearms: Single shot firearms are common for more accuracy, but breach load is not uncommon. Newest technology no longer requires a separate percussion cap to fire. The Standing Stones are an unknown technology. SECURITY: See glyph stones under 'Other Notables'. Additionally, there is a sheriff and small force of deputies that maintains the laws in the city. MILITARY: There is no standing military, as the Standing Stones have always offered protection. When military action is needed a militia is formed from the deputies and townspeople, as all are trained to some extent. OTHER NOTABLES: The safety of the town is kept safe by the Standing Stones, a series of ancient glyph covered columns positioned around the city several miles out. Each column is spaced a mile apart, with very few having been damaged or destroyed. While these columns will let anything out; it will only let in basic humans, animals and plants. Humans, animals, and plants that are altered from the basic in any manner (magic, genetic, mutation, advanced, etc) are not able to pass between the columns. Exceptions can be allowed on an individual basis when authorized by the Mayor or one of the three Key Council Members, with the individual present. These exceptions are maintained until authorization is removed.

-me

[jj_wolven]

Outsiders Humanoid civilization did not exist until 2-300 years ago, before that humanoids either hid or were slaves/food herds. There are no creatures of any type that know where the ruins came from - that was from a time many millenia before any demons, devils, celestials, etc. Note: the oldest "native" outsiders are around 2000 years old. There are some that are older, but came from different planes and were trapped here. None of them have been here longer that 400 years. There are rumors of outsiders that have been in EW longer, but none that you know.

Ancient Languages (i.e. Modern languages in IRL 21st century) An english book found would be understood to a degree based on a specialized linguistics - Linguistics (English). Regular Lingustics will only be able to recognize it as an Ancient Language and differenciate (not specify) one from another. ("That book and that book are different languages, but I don't know what they are") That is because this is one of the ancient lost languages that has not been spoken in over 5000 years. Ability to read is a very difficult scale: Rank 1 - recognizing the language Rank 3 - knowing the alphabet Rank 7 - easily recognize conjunctive words (and, or, the, but, etc) Rank 13 - Similar to 1 semester of high school foreign language Rank 20 - Can read slowly with references, but not speak correctly (no reference) I realize that this is very rough, but it is designed to be - these languages have been dead and unspoken for longer than any in IRL modern society. Also, the 'current' languages are not based-on or similar to these languages (such as Romance or Germanic based languages).

-me