--- PAGE 1 --- Time Jump 2016-17: Table of Contents: A Dark Age Looms Dagdeoth Suppressed Blackspire Reborn Dark Wilds Invasion The Fading of Magic The Unclaimed Lands Dead Plague Epidemic New Geb Privateers Rhysic Outcasts 62 years have passed. Year 16,112 A Dark Age Looms: Over the sixty two years that have passed in Roekron, a dark age has threatened and continues to darken the future of the land. Thrown into chaos by the influx of Blackspire refugees fleeing Dagdeoths advances, most of Roekron was hard pressed to keep themselves alive in these troubled days. Some groups succeeded in integrating the refugees and even managed to convince them to turn against Dagdeoth in the years that followed, but a general period of chaos began over the years and Dagdeoth took advantage of this. Building new fortresses and outposts all across the territories that they conquered, Dagdeoth used these keeps to stage massive assaults on all regions, most notably Amir, Aramir, Illionass, Oriri, and Dsesnor. The strain placed on the governments just to keep themselves alive in these periods of intense warfare and strife is still being felt by the people today. As more and more resources were poured into protecting the borders, fending off attacks, and rebuilding what was continuously destroyed, less and less could be devoted to infrastructure, education, arts, or culture. The result has been a general decline in the awareness of and promotion for the advancement of the civilization. During the period, magic began to fade as well. There were periods of time where spells failed completely in certain regions, and this created a general movement away from relying on magic for day to day needs. Most notably, the use of Resurrect being compromised greatly affected the outlook of individuals who might once have considered being adventurers. With life so easily lost, and no ready way to be brought back to life, most have chosen lives which are less prone to danger. Gone are the plentiful mage guilds of the past. Where once people could learn magic in any city or town, now, only the Mage Schools provide this service, making mages far rarer in the world in general. Most governments have shifted towards a more centralist approach, choosing to take care of themselves and leave everyone else to deal with their own problems. As their ability to control their regions failed, governments began to shrink their borders and focus instead on maintaining what they were capable of well, rather than sprawl across the land and deal with multiple rebellions. In the end, many were able to hold onto their culture, but at the loss of a great deal of information and education that was once commonplace. A dark age looms now, for if the trend continues, key elements of Roekron society will unravel, and the land will be cast into a dark age the likes of which it has not seen in over a thousand years. --- PAGE 2 --- Dagdeoth Suppression: Fortunately for Roekron, there were more heroes in the world as Dagdeoth invaded than their ever have been before. Due to the active sacrifice of these hundreds of individuals, Dagdeoth failed to advance into the heart of Roekron and establish a foothold there. Instead, they were pushed far back into the upper quadrant of their territory and have not seen fit to make a move south for the last five years. This was accomplished through the active participation and coordination of heroes from all across Roekron. From Oriri to Dsesnor, Amir, to Illionass, heroes sprang into action to defend the lands they called home, and to keep the desolation they could seem coming from poisoning the center of the world they knew. Nowhere was this more noticed than in Illionass. Having spent a great deal of resources on making a wall to hold back the Dark Wilds and Dagdeoth, an attempt which ultimately failed, Illionass turned its considerable military powers towards the occupied lands of Odilathan and Blackspire. Executing a carefully managed battle strategy, Illionass, led by Yun Nonas, General of the Illionass armies and wielder of Ebonafter, many battles were fought across the mountainsides of the Peaks of Odilathan and the Blackspire Mountains and the Illionass people seemed unstoppable. In an unprecedented victory, Illionass, along with legions of displace Blackspire generals and war heroes such as Turok Kinslayer, Dagdeoth seemed incapable of holding onto any land the allied forces chose to win back. In the end, their momentum slowed, and they chose to hold onto what they had acquired, successfully cutting off Dagdeoths connections to the lower regions of the Blackspire mountains, and over the many years that followed, effectively shut off all supplies to these keeps and outposts such that they eventually became abandoned ruins and dungeons that litter the landscape now. A prominent figure in the Dagdeoth armies at this time was K’gall Daged Shaoagon, the son of both Abarantari Cha Shaoagon and Olicust the Unborn. K’gall is perhaps the most feared being in Roekron at this time, surpassing his mother, who has been shrouded in mystery and terror. K’gall appears to be human, and seems to have an uncanny ability to detect as such. He is believed to be able to alter his appearance and disguise himself as almost anyone he wishes to be, though only humans. It is also said that K’gall can shift himself to various locations at will, as he has been seen in two battles almost at the same time. But most famously, he has been a force to reckon with on the battlefield since he was barely able to stand. K’gall saw his first battle fifteen years after he was born, though he appeared to be closer to five years old by those that fought him. He wore no armor, and carried nothing but a simple, old Morganti sword. Confused at first, many troops attempted to reason with him, and all were killed by him. His casual approach and apparent disregard for his own safety at first appeared to be a weakness to --- PAGE 3 --- exploit, until Amir mounted a major assault on him when he appeared in a battle some twenty years later, then seeming to be about eight, and found that they could do nothing to him. They lost their entire division that day to him alone as they tirelessly attempted to find his weakness and where slowly all cut down. K’gall has been attacked with Elder Sorcery, crushed with boulders, mana drained, and even, most famously, struck a killing strike with a warded Ebonafter, and merely kicked the Queen in the face and laughed. Fortunately for many, K’gall appears to age slowly, and has only now reached maturity over the last sixty years. In his younger days he was distractible and troops sometimes could escape from him. Now, as he has become more serious, encounters with him are systematic and final. Wearing the white enameled plate of the Knights of the Dagdemar, he frequents many of the major battles Dagdeoth engages in and can be seen to be walking casually about killing or hacking any he finds. He usually doesn’t stay for long, apparently having many places to be, but when he does appear, it is almost always spells doom for those opposing him. Blackspire Reborn: As Illionass retook the occupied mountains back from Dagdeoth, they repopulated the regions with their displaced people and rebuilt their home. Settling in to a long and prolonged fight with Dagdeoth, Roekron finds itself with a new ally where none was before. Blackspire has long been a name which evoked fear and bloodshed for many across the land. For thousands of years, the area has been a source of violent invasions, dangerous leaders, and unpredictable warfare. The newly emerging culture of Blackspire that now holds the Shadowfall Cliffs and Blackspire Mountain are a subtly different group. Led by the fierce matriarch orcs of Shadowfall, and old war heroes such as Turok Kinslayer, this new Blackspire is less prone to destruction for its own sake and more focused on defeating the common enemy. Still a warlike and violent culture to be sure, this new Blackspire is far more focused on the good of its people, a general advancement of its culture, and an opposition to lawfulness as opposed to goodness. This slight change has made a much more reliable ally in fragile times. As Blackspire regained its footing, so too did Odilathan, a country which has been fighting for its freedom for many years, working undercover as rebels to overthrow their taskmasters from within. Led by a group of freedom fighters operating out of a base called the Shadow Den, these heroes managed to keep Dagdeoth from rooting them out and somehow recruited the aid of a massive following of haunts which now roam the countryside causing havoc for Dagdeoth. Quickly learning that attacking haunts was a bad idea, Dagdeoth has had a hard time figuring out what to do about this problem, and the rebels successfully used this to their advantage, taking back the key areas of their lands, and most notably, their capital city. Odilathan now counts Blackspire as their ally against Dagdeoth, and the two stand united against the common foe, holding back the hordes, hoping to one day regain their old territories, but for now, are content to have reclaimed anything at all. --- PAGE 4 --- Dark Wild’s Invasion: One force that has been unchecked these many decades has been the mass of undead forest and animals that has exploded over the last hundred years. The Dark Wilds has quickly out competed Dagdeoth as the main threat facing Roekron, and few have found any success in stopping it. This infamous forest has taken on a decidedly militant behavior, as zombies swarm out of the foliage in the thousands, being cut down, only to sprout more trees. This endless fighting of the zombie front running troops appears to create favorable terrain for the troops that follow, a menagerie of undead animals and hybrids of trees and dead creatures. This fearsome forest now dominates the upper half of the Roekron map and appears to be being directed by various organizations that have sprung up within it far to the north. Many cultures have emerged living alongside the often gruesome creatures of the wild and some of these cultures believe the wilds to be misunderstood and less hostile than it appears. Certainly, the forest doesn’t seem to function as many armies would, bringing in troops or stating its demands, but the relentless force with which it attempts to envelope the lands around it speaks for itself. Svodlun is all but gone, retreating underground where the wilds cannot reach them. Northern Illionass too is all but taken over, and many people have been forced to relocate to the river valley around Randwin. Fortunately for many, Dagdeoth has not been left alone by the terrifying force of the Dark Wilds. Barely able to keep its own capital roads accessible, the Dark Wilds has helped to keep Dagdeoth and much of the deadly force which use to be aimed at Illionass from being able to strike a blow. Some view the Dark Wilds as the new evil in the land, and others as a neutral force helping to slow Dagdeoth down, but most agree they are afraid for what the future holds, as this behemoth of wild natural magic devours the land unchecked. The Fading of Magic: Most troubling to scholars and adventurers alike has been the fading of magic over the past sixty years. Initially, in the first ten years, there was little change. Occasionally Elder Sorcery would fumble frequently for no reason, but that was all. But then, about fifty years ago, there was a much more rapid shift as whole regions of Roekron began to experience areas of low magic, where spells seemed difficult to cast, costing more mana than usual, and sometimes failing completely. Investigations into the cause of these effects resulted in many adventurers traveling deep into ancient forests to discover areas of wonton destruction and death. Often trees seemed to have been cut down for no reason, and odd creatures could be found around these areas that had never been encountered in Roekron before. It has thus been theorized by many that magic is somehow tied to these regions and --- PAGE 5 --- that a disruption of these areas within the forest has caused some kind of fracturing of the flow of magic. Mage teachers who have been asked to explain the phenomenon seem to have a wide range of opinions on the subject. Some sight the maintenance of the Overlay as being at fault, pointing out that the attempt to use the Overlay for long distance travel and communication put an unforeseen strain on the system. Other mages have pointed to the Dark Wilds and its voracious growth, seeing it as a major consumer of magical energy in the land and this is causing an overall loss of magical energy availability. Others think the answer to be more subtle and perhaps involving the dwindling of the Fae, who have once again become a thing of legend, rarely being seen or heard from anywhere in Roekron. People have blamed everything from Morganti creation, to curses, to deities, to flawed magic items, and all anyone can agree on is that magic is indeed fading. Perhaps most ominous is Astengrads comments on the subject which, apparently were hard pressed to be obtained, but were finally officially stated, “Everything is fine. We have it under control.” To this date, Elder Sorcery is the only type of magic affected and spells using words of OP 6 or greater currently fail in Roekron, the Polar North, and Teriock. The Unclaimed Lands: Much of Roekron has been left unclaimed by any particular political region, and this has created areas of the world now completely lawless, unchecked, and free to develop their own vision of society. In some places this has been good, such as the lands around Amir and Aramir where pioneers have set out to begin a new type lifestyle. Preferring a life without kings and queens, many of the people within this region have begun piecing together a new form of governance, run by the people themselves. However, in other regions such as Lumicast, East Dsesnor, Lower Blackspire, and the Temnorian Ranges, the effects have been somewhat less lofty. Local warlords have created city states for themselves in which they are the supreme rulers of their area. With no government oversight or control, slavery, murder, and coercion are the rule of the day. These regions are not entered into by even the most well equipped troops, who quickly find themselves overwhelmed and outmatched by the local people who often make a point of making an example of those who trespass into their regions. To make matters worse, many other creatures not wanting to be hunted down or attacked by civilizations have made the Unclaimed Lands their home, making these regions even more hostile to those that would attempt to cross them or even simply enter them. Dark Trolls, Death Ogres, and Undead Dark Heroes are not uncommon in these areas, hiding out, preying on travelers, encampments, and each other. Bandits too have found these area a virtual safe haven. With no law enforcement to hunt them down, and a multitude of areas to stash treasure, hide out, and steal whatever they want, the Unclaimed lands have come to be called by many “The Bandit Lands,” referring to the virtual endless groups of bandits now residing in these regions having previously lived in regions far from where they are now. Few enter into the Unclaimed Lands willingly, and those that do tend to be heroes ready to fight for their lives. In some regions the Unclaimed Lands are simply a hazard full of random nuisances, while in other areas, exile to the Unclaimed lands is the most feared and brutal punishment one could ever receive. --- PAGE 6 --- Dead Plague Epidemic: A very recent development in Roekron and Teriock has been the Dead Plague, a disease which Zombies the dead bodies of sapient individuals, predominantly the most common species in Roekron. The disease appears to be particular to the intelligence of the being it infects and has a harder time infecting lower intelligence beings, Goblins being sometimes immune to the effect, and Orcs sometimes having a resistance to it. Where this disease came from is currently unknown and the source of many conspiracy theories. Sixty two years ago there were rumors that something might be going on, but most who suggested it where considered insane and alarmist, and their warning ignored. Thirty years ago, many of these individuals concluded that they had been wrong and nothing was indeed happening. It appeared that indeed there was no cause to worry, and most investigators returned to other topics of interest. It wasn’t until five years ago, when the first massive zombie hordes began to be encountered, and their reanimation process discovered that people retuned to the investigations by these extremists individuals to find out what was going on. But all of these individuals now were missing, many of them appearing to have left long ago, either hiding out from what they knew was coming, or as some would believe, destroyed along with all their years of research and theories. Whatever is causing the Dead Plague and how it works is still being investigated, but usually secretly and without ceremony or announcement. Many fear for that they will share the fate of those who attempted to warn the world of this coming epidemic and who are now all gone. Attempting to look into the source, the design, or any cure is usually met with skepticism, as those who have, often end up dead or missing, with the only evidence of who may have been behind the attacks being other investigators themselves. Conspiracy theories abound, but usually in hushed tones and private meetings. New Geb Privateers: Geb saw its end as the dangerous pirate nation it had been for hundreds of years over sixty years ago, and now has been reborn as a much more wholesome, though none-the-less lawless nation. When Einion invaded during the Geb War of 16049, they found much of the nation abandonded. Over half the population, along with all sorts of war machines, whole buildings, and even shipyards, were completely gone. How the Geb government managed to vanish away so much in such a short period of time, and where they all went, is still a mystery to this day. However, the new government that was established was, at first, elven, but then due to rebellions, a new Pirate Queen arose and has held the throne for the last forty years. Mysterious and elusive, the figure is rarely seen not on her ship or in the palace, and is always surrounded by her crew. Where this human woman has come from and what her claim to the throne is is still unknown, but she rules the island --- PAGE 7 --- with an iron first, and has made many changes for the better in Geb, and so most have seen fit to leave her alone. In the years that followed, Geb blossomed into a center for art and culture. Much of the island nation had developed unique musical styles, and even its own language, having been isolated from Roekron culture so much and having to use stolen works to cobble together its own sense of culture. This provided a rich tapestry for the new forms of ballads and sculpture work that began to emerge in Geb. The pirating life is still strong in the province, though now it has turned to a much more Privateer style. With so much unclaimed ocean around the area, Geb has easy access to “tax” ships which they capture. Preferring to pirate to the south, Geb seems to have a system in place which discourages attacks on Einion or Hostor and encourages attacks on ships off the map to the south in unknown waters. Geb also has far more rules of engagement, strictly adhering to its laws which state that anyone who surrenders cannot be harmed, all treasure is to be divided evenly, and mutiny is treason. These laws have been well received by the nation of mostly hobbits and humans, and while no one enjoys meeting with Geb Privateers on the open ocean, few now fear for their lives when they do so, but rather, fear for their cargo and what the encounter is like to cost them. Rhysic Outcasts: Rhysic, the infamous Litch who once was the Arch Mage of Stormwatcher tower and mounted one of the only major assaults on Sorikonia in the history of Roekron, has been removed from power in Temnor. It appears his previous ally, the vampire Medallion, also has vanished from the area, leaving a void in the control of the masses of undead created by them. Rhysic, it appears, had been waging a secret battle with another foe the entire time he has been in Temnor. Who, or what this foe is or was is unknown, but it is clear that Rhysic spent most of his time dealing with this opponent for over one hundred years, and in the end was defeated by it. He has vanished from Roekron, believed to have escaped into another plane to recover his strength for a future attempt, either that or he was banished to somewhere and cannot return. While many are happy with this turn of events, what it was that could defeat Rhysic, an Arch Mage Litch powerful enough to threaten an entire region while simultaneously battling a foe more powerful than himself, is concerning to say the least. Many theorize that the answer lies within Stormwatcher Tower, but what that secret is few hope to ever discover. In the aftermath of Rhysics removal, the legacy of his creations became evident in a terrifying way. Rhysic had always been rather unattached to whether or not those he captured became Undead Dark Heroes. He was famous for offering them the chance for something greater, but never forcing them to make the move. He also seemed uncaring about those who chose to turn against him, not using his powers to bind his undead to him, as most Litch will do for security reasons. Instead, Rhysic let his minions run wild and eventually side against him. Once he was gone, they discovered the powerful connection Rhysic had been maintaining with each of them, keeping them alive and powered, without binding them. With this power source gone, the Undead Dark Heroes were forced to feed on living sentient beings and --- PAGE 8 --- began ravaging the land like locusts, decimating huge populations in their hunger for survival. A few found new masters, who could supply them with their much needed mana flow, but most have remained a scourge on the land, leaving a path of withered husks in their wake and endlessly hunting down their next meal. Due to the threat these beings pose, many nations actively seek them out for destruction, and thus they tend to hide in the Unclaimed Lands, adding to the danger and threat of these lawless zones. The world is shifting steadily towards a darkened path. While known enemies are kept in check, the new and unknown thrive and grow. The way of the adventurers is now a much more deadly one, as the magic that remakes us fails in the coming twilight. Where will this troubled land find its anchor in the building storm? In an era filled with chaotic regions and unknown threats, where can we turn for solace and hope? As the threads begin to unravel, and the flame begins to gutter out in the gale, what light still burns against a night so cold? Perhaps the light that hands make, or perhaps no light at all. It is your world to protect. No one will do it for you. Will you watch as the tide washes away the land so many died to create, or will you stand with the few who challenge the dark, and fight for the thousand tiny treasures found only here; the daring smile of a clever thief, the unexpected shrug of a timeless mage, the haunting song of a sly bard, the thousand stories come and gone in every wood and on every shore. This is your world. Hold it close before it blows away in the winds of time. IN GAME EFFECTS THIS SEASON: A Dark Age Looms {game effects- Towns @ is ½ of what is was before on average. Also players can only train in Mage at a Mage School (Pinnacle, Stormwatcher Tower, Serpenton, Astengrad, or Dagdemar). Encounters with NPC’s generally only have a single mage in the party} Dagdeoth Suppressed {game effects- Dagdeoth attacks occur mostly in the north} Blackspire Reborn {game effects- Blackspire encounters tend towards Chaotic Good or Neutral} Dark Wilds Invasion {game effects- new creatures and Zombies encountered in the Dark Wilds} The Fading of Magic {game effects- Elder Sorcery of OP 6 or higher fails} The Unclaimed Lands {game effects- regions where there is no political control are now filled with various lawless groups and dangers} Dead Plague Epidemic {game effects- at the beginning of an encounter, any dead bodies of sapient species will Zombify and begin attacking everything they encounter other than Zombies} New Geb Privateers {game effects- Geb Pirates now tend towards Chaotic Good or Neutral. Those that surrender to them will always be spared} Rhysic Outcasts {Undead Dark Heroes are Feeding and must mana drain to death three sapient living creatures every day to survive}