[D&D-5e] Pandora Rises

[Endtimes]

Pandora Rises

Game System DnD 5e

Theme Open world, that reacts to PC's decisions

Flavour Ancient monsters, crippled kingdoms, new threats

The Story Till Now The New Continent The New Continent was a trap. 300 years ago, the kingdom of Myra reached the New Continent, and founded the settlement of Moonhaven, becoming the first power upon its rich lands. Over the next hundred years, while Myra's less advanced neighbors tried, and failed to reach it, they strengthened their position, profiting from the wealth of resources hidden there. 80 years after their discovery of the New Continent, they had moved their capitol to the grand city of Moonhaven. Due to their colonization of the New Continent, they had become the most powerful of the five kingdoms. On the hundredth year anniversary of their discovery of the new kingdom, all contact with the New Continent ended. The kingdom of Myra was devastated, and was quickly subsumed by it's now more powerful neighbors. 23 years later, the kingdom of Hallein reached the new kingdom, and found the remains of the great empire. The cities still stood, but no citizen remained. The entire humanoid population had disappeared. In its place was Pandora. Over what had once been the city of Moonhaven, sat a translucent dome, and as skrying spells revealed, within the center of that dome, sat a single being, that while humanoid in outline, had more in common with a sphere of annihilation. This figure was eventually named Pandora, but it was merely the first in a growing pattern. 99 years after the appearance of Pandora, the creature began to stir. 1 year later, Pandora stood, and over the following week, proceeded to hunt down, and kill 67% of the humanoid population. This time, however, Pandora was stopped by a pair of beings known as the Necromancer, and the Dragon King. However, despite their power, they were unable to kill Pandora, instead forcing it back into hibernation. There Pandora remains to this day. The Modern Day Over the past hundred years, much has changed on the New Continent, now called Etix. After Pandora's attack, the four kingdoms agreed that Etix would be a neutral ground, divided equally among them. They knew, once again, Pandora would rise, and they needed to be prepared. The only one who disagreed with this sentiment, was the Dragon King, who believed that because he stopped Pandora, he should be the sole ruler of Etix. After the four kingdom's decision became known, he started a war with them, that continued on for 87, only ending with the Dragon King suddenly disappearing during an attack on the territory of Linolia. The Necromancer however, has managed to mostly avoid the ire of the four kingdoms. Disguised as a hermit, he travels across Etix, starting an invasion of undead every few years, which a local cleric usually puts down. About 30 years ago, he created a group of Liches that managed to conquer the city of Mallem, but after learning of this, the Necromancer himself traveled there, and forced them to swear oaths to the Kingdom of Gallhammer, causing the kingdom to accept, if uneasily, the Liches as the new dukes of Mallem. Pandora itself, however, for the past 99 years, has remained dormant. A dark figure, which the four kingdoms have watched, waiting. Then a year ago, Pandora began to stir. In three days, it will be the 300th anniversary of the discovery of Etix, 200th anniversary of Pandora's appearance, and 100th anniversary of Pandora's second attack. However, in this time of need, those who could stop it, are gone. With the Dragon King's disappearance 13 years ago, and with the Necromancer still in hiding, Etix is left without a protector. And though the four kingdoms search, they have yet to find anyone capable of stopping Pandora. It seems that Etix will be wiped clean once more. The Players The story begins in the village of Yellowleaf. Located in the territory of the Kingdom of Hallein, this small village is on the most direct path to Pandora's resting place. Many have passed through Yellowleaf, both those on a journey to, and those fleeing away from Pandora. For whatever reason, each of you have made your way here. And so it begins.

The Four Kingdoms After the fall of Myra, four kingdoms were left to lay claim to Etix. The Kingdoms of Anseon, Gallhammer, Hallein, and Linolia now rule Etix more or less equally, owning four teritories divided to the cardinal directions.   The third of the four kingdoms to reach Etix, Anseon is currently the least powerful of the four. Called the nation of monsters, Anseon was founded when the orc tribes decided to join forces with the bugbears, kolbolds, and hobgoblins. In the nearly 500 years since, such races as the goliaths, Tabaxi, kenku, and aarakocra have been officially recognized by the Covenant. It's territory lies in the varied terrain of northern Etix, which contains frozen lakes, next to sweltering deserts, next to floating mountains. The strange geography of northern Etix was formed by the magic used during the battle between the Necromancer, the Dragon King, and Pandora. The kingdom of Anseon is ruled by the Covanant, a group of indiviuals formed by three members of each of Anseon's citizen races. How these representatives are chosen is left to the race in question.   Quite simply, the kingdom of Dwarves. The last of the four kingdoms to make it to Etix, for a great amount of time Gallhammer remained the weakest of the four kingdoms. When the treaty was signed, they were given the southern mountain ranges, as honestly none of the others could do anything with a seeming endless expanse of stone. However, within the mountains, the dwarves discovered the largest and most plentiful ore pockets in all of Etix. Using these resources, Gallhammer became the second strongest of the four kingdoms, as the suppliers of all non-organic resources. Politically, they are grouped into twelve clans, the heads of which form a group called the Stonemasons, which serves as their ruling body.   The first to make it to Etix of the four kingdoms, the human's kingdom of Hallein is normally considered the strongest of the four. It took claim to the large plains on Etix's eastern side. Notable in its population is an abnormal amount of gnomes, as Hallein long ago noticed their capacity for invention, and has deemed them a national resource, to be protected and encouraged. It is therefore no surprise that Hallein is the most scientifically advanced of the four kingdoms, even when not counting facts such as the royal family's personal guard possessing rudimentary firearms.   The second of the four kingdoms to reach Etix, the elves of Linolia are the third strongest of the four kingdoms. Known for their skill in basically every fine art, magic included, they are mainly famed as the main crafters of magic items. Having taken claim to the gentle hills and forests to the west, the recent attacks of the Dragon King have left much of their land highly changed. The oldest of the four kingdoms, it also has the most complex political landscape, as every citizen is technically a member of their royalty, though most are of extremely low rank.

About Pandora Rises -Pandora Rises is a sandbox campaign, based in a semi-fleshed out world. It is possible to stop Pandora. It is also possible to completely ignore it, find and fight the Necromancer, or Dragon King instead, or completely abandon Etix. While I will suggest the first, I will not stop other options, mentioned or not. -The posting rate is 1/day, but posting is suggested and not mandatory on weekends -Content from all official source books is accepted, Unearthed Arcana Artificer & Mystic are accepted, but the rest is on a case by case basis. -Stats will be chosen via point buy. -Starting character level will be level 3. -6 apps will be accepted. -The deadline is 2019. Any apps made in 2018 will be considered. Apps made in 2019 will not.

Application Guidelines In your app, please include: Name: Your character's name Class: Your character's class Background: Your character's background Alignment: Your character's alignment Personality: 1 paragraph, and/or traits Appearance: A right aligned image at minimum Backstory: 3 or more paragraphs detailing the character's past Kingdom of Citizenship: Which of the four kingdoms you are a citizen of

Q&A Q: So it's open world sandbox A: Indeed it is. While it is recommended, you don't even have to try to stop Pandora, and there's a lot of unexplored wilderness/political machinations/more. Q: What, if any, special content (such as the UA mystic) would be allowed? A: All official source books, along with the UA Artificer & Mystic are accepted. The rest of UA is on a case by case basis. Q: Tell me more about this Dragon King. Actual dragon, or someone that had power over dragons? What color? Q: Particularly interested in the dragon king, if he's king i'm assuming there will be several dragons around the world? A: I admittedly did not expect so much interest in the Dragon King this early, but hey, here we go. The Dragon King is an actual dragon, though one older than most, and surrounded by mystery. His color is unknown, as he is an albino and is somehow able to use multiple breath weapons. While there are other dragons, they are rare, and proud, and honestly only accept him because he killed all dissent nearly 800 years ago. Now the dragons do their best to ignore he exists, and mostly stick around the old continent, which he left about 140 years ago. About 13 years ago, however, he disappeared after an attack on the territory of Linolia, and hasn't been seen since. Also, his actual name is Relondrai. Q: Is it possible to RP a survivor of Moonhaven, even if the char was very little and barely remembers what happened? A: While it is extremely unlikely that anyone escaped Pandora's first attack, I can not say it would be impossible. As I have spent practically the entirety of my day debating this question, I will simply say, that you may. Q: Does that mean characters from Etix can't be over 99 years old? A: No. Pandora's last attack, (Pandora being the darkness monster), which occurred a little under 100 years ago, was stopped by the Necromancer, and the Dragon King. While there were heavy casualties, 33% of the population of Etix survived. However, the attack that occurred 200 years ago, which also caused the collapse of the Myran civilization, had no known survivors. However in one of my posts, I stated that due to the fact that there are ways to avoid/escape/be ignored by Pandora, while it is unlikely, it is possible that a character may have survived this attack as well. No one knows whether there was an attack 300 years ago, but the Myran civilization arrived after it had finished, or if Pandora simply chose not to attack. tl;dr: there is no problem with characters being over 99 years old, and being from Etix. It is extremely unlikely for a character to both be over 199 years old, and from Etix. If you are over 299 years old, you are from the mainland, not Etix, as that was when the first humanoids began to settle Etix.

Apps Name Character Class Background Alignment Citizenship Status Touketsu Jack Havenwood Warlock   N Hallein WIP BasilSSS Alayna Feral Monk Far Traveler CG None WIP Dvorak   Artificer Guild Artisan L   WIP Ericg1s Master Brown Mystic Criminal N Hallein WIP KhamLuc Rystaël Dal'Gwyzor Bard/Druid Spy CG Linolia Complete HunterSeverus Valdral Shadowmace Cleric Urban Bounty Hunter LG Hallein WIP

[KellyCat]

Welcome to RPGcrossing! You might want to include a few things to help with recruitment, such as what level players are starting as (as well as stats and things), and a firm tie in to the story. Why would people want to play in your world? Where are they starting off? How long has it been since the events of the intro? The more details you give in what you are searching for, the more likely you are to attract the kinds of players you are searching for.
-Kelly

[Gulielmos]

I am intrigued so it's open world sandbox.

[Ericg1s]

What, if any, special content (such as the UA mystic) would be allowed?

[KarlCullinane]

Tell me more about this Dragon King. Actual dragon, or someone that had power over dragons? What color?

[Courtadpole]

This is very intriguing! new to PbP but experienced with DnD, i'd love to get invested in your game world. Particularly interested in the dragon king, if he's king i'm assuming there will be several dragons around the world?
I'll build a character as soon as the list of acceptable content is set up!

[Dorack]

Is it possible to RP a survivor of Moonhaven, even if the char was very little and barely remembers what happened?

[Touketsu]

Definitely interested based on the concept! I’ll have an application in by the end of the week.

[Endtimes]

While it is extremely unlikely that anyone escaped Pandora's first attack, I can not say it would be impossible. As I have spent practically the entirety of my day debating this question, I will simply say, that you may.

[Dorack]

In the OP you say Pandora killed 67% of humanoid population; I assumed lots of people survived.

[Touketsu]

Originally Posted by Dorack

In the OP you say Pandora killed 67% of humanoid population; I assumed lots of people survived.

About 33% of people in fact.

[Touketsu]

Placeholder.

Application Jack Havenwood Race: Human | Class: Hexblade Warlock | Alignment: Neutral Background: Sage | Kingdom of Citizenship: Hallein Personality: WIP Backstory: WIP

[Endtimes]

Actually, that is not fully correct. The city of Moonhaven was the capitol of the kingdom of Myra before Pandora's first attack. This attack has no known survivors. The attack you're referring to however, was Pandora's second attack. This attack was actually stopped by the Necromancer, and the Dragon King partway through. Even so, 67% of the population were still casualties. Since the fall of Myra, the city of Moonhaven has remained empty, mainly due first to Pandora's presence, and for those that would not detour, a magic dome over the city.

tl;dr: There are no known survivors of Moonhaven/Pandora's first attack. Pandora's second attack however left 33% of the population alive. Sorry for the confusion.

[BasilSSS]

Name: Alayna Feral
Class: Monk
Background: Far Taveler-exile
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Personality: Feral is a nosy loud but friendly woman. She thrives on social interaction and bringing out the best in people or at the very least making them feel as comfortable and welcomed as needed. SHe loves to be challenged and spared with and just tries to treat life like a party. When on the job, however,. shes relative business. Still quipping and making light of the drama, but still shows pride as a Blood Axe mercanry and would rather lose an arm or her other horn than bring any knowing shame on her family. She fights more on instinct with pauses or prep work being left to planning. Shes a reactionary martial artist but sees the merit in a good plan to start off the cluster of chaos. She is however stubborn and can be hard to convince to do anything she feels is a waist of time, energy, resources or just doesn't allign with her moral compass. If someone is being unusually shady for a job, it doesn't matter how good the pay is she'll happily turn it down for a more upfront job. Even if this means snuffing a high society member, and in fact she may be more inclined to divvy out some harsh truths to the rich, even if shes very very wrong in her assumptions.

Appearance: 5'7" Blone hair that stretches past her shoulders, fair skin, musclar tone, long muscular tail, Pure white eyes that give off a look of blindness, curved forward facing horns, sharp canine-like teeth.

Backstory: Before the Blood Axes, before her training, before what she would call the start of her life, she was Feral. An orphaned tiefling girl left to the harsh world. People fear what they don't understand, and what more is there to understand about teifling? Even with some of her more human looking features, most Teiflings would be lucky to share, her unmistakable demon-like qualities would point her out as a being caught between human and demon. Teiflings were enough on their own in Faerun, but when you are born looking as if you were stuck between your heritage, there's a fear that builds based on what people understand yet can't come to accept. So the young girl adopted common, was born with the language of infernal, and accepted the word the towns called her as she passed by, as her name. Feral. This treatment only began to wayne on the girl in her adolescence, when she craved for more in life than just survival.

During her prowls she would overhear stories of men and women, orcs and humans and dwarves and more, venturing beyond the known trails, battling beasts deep within the forests or ancients far removed from societal alignments. She would be inspired by such a group being able to band together and freely roam and fight and triumph. The final straw was when a new passing band had a rather charming looking teifling amongts them. they had far more demon-like qualities too them and were clearly much older, but all the same, Feral couldn't help but follow, lost in budding infatuation. The Elder tiefling caught wise to the girl's presence and confronted her, asking what her purpose this stalking achieved. Feral explained herself, mostly, and asked the older demonkind to share advice, stories or maybe even a location as to where she coul start going on great adventures too. The elder had a better idea, and asked the young girl to meet him and his group at the exit gates in two days, early dawn. When she arrived, she found even more members of this band has reached the first smaller branch and all welcoming her as the newest trainee into the Blood Axe Mercenary Company.

Feral was given a "proper: first name, mostly for documentation reasons, and Now goes by Alayna Feral Blood Axe, though she will usually go by her first or last names (Alayna/Feral). She found, regardless of the name, the company had a large variety of ex-criminals, orphans, discharged soldiers, mages, scholars, fighters and much much more. The original group that found her attempted to each steer her toward their profession of battle, but eventually Feral found guidance with an elder Toral martial arts Master Nulka, along with his current students, A female Shifter (Wild Hunt) Seria and a Kalashtar boy Ulad. Each focused on their own mastery of the arts, with Feral taking on the open hand school of training, due to her already comfortable lean toward physicality and climbing. She has spent her later childhood training and finding herself with her new family, no longer shy or recluse about her mind or feelings, and forming a more outgoing if not nosy personality. Now in her late 20's Alayna walks her own path for fotune, adventure and coin, all while still holding true to her Fompany's honor and regularly finding excuses to visit the branch of her family she is closest or most known too.


Kingdom of Citizenship: i can change this and much of the background if needed but ive always liked playng the outsider coming into the new world and new culture. If possible id like to be from none and have a new coming adventurers touch to the game.

[Dvorak]

WIP

Application Name: Grime Class: Artificer Background: Guild Artisan Alignment: Lawful Neutral Personality: Although very old, Grime was in a dormant state almost 100 years old. As such he is very new to this world, having been active for less than a year. As such he has a very inquisitive personality always trying to learn and grow. He does not yet have the experience to know who to trust and may easily be taken advantage of. Appearance: A right aligned image at minimum Backstory: Constructed over 100 years ago during the second attack of Pandora, Grime was not completed before Pandora was put down once more. He was finished and left unactivated in an old warehouse in Yellowhaven, many people thought he was just a golem, but there were wards placed on him which kept people from affecting him. Though time still took its tool rusting some of the external metal plates and a coating of grime covering him. Kingdom of Citizenship: Which of the four kingdoms you are a citizen of