--- PAGE 1 --- Page 1 Basic Notes for Time Jump 2018-19 9-25-2018 (updated 12-18-18) Table of Contents: Trade Order Svodlun Alliance Dead Plague Zones Mists of Shabarax United Alliance of Roekron Reformation of Orcish Culture Dagdeoth Upheaval Dark Wilds Quiet 19 years have passed: Trade Order Svodlun Alliance: Finding similar goals in mind, the age-old combination of the Trade Order Mages spellcasting and the Svodlun Dwarves smiting has been a formidable hammer and anvil for Roekron to bare. Svodlun has had no qualms about using Zombies in their mines and has reinstituted the old slave camps, this time, with undead workers. The Trade Order began many wars along the borders of Roekron, most notably in Einion and Temnor, which sparked a major upset from both nations. While the elves rallying against them was not surprising, it was not expected that Temnor would not accept the many bribes and attempts to gain their help. Temnor seemed bent on keeping their secrets and the power to themselves and saw through the Trade Orders attempts to govern them, something they have never allowed anyone else to do. This proved a key error for the Trade Order, who ended up with a tenacious, if not very effective, enemy right on their doorstep, and an enemy they had planned on being an ally in this invasion. The alliance of these two superpowers has been a hard front to deal with for many, particularly in the north with Svodlun, where many previous allies were suddenly at war with each other. The war, however, appears to have benefited Svodlun who has been selling weapons to all the non-allied groups, including Dagdeoth factions. The fight to obtain the thrown of Svodlun by Welcres Svod Olden was a long and protracted war that eventually saw Nevil Svod assume the mantel of power, though not the real thrown himself. The conflict within the government has kept him from directly gaining power and instead the name of king has been given to the very young Boris Villor Svod (the son of Villaneli Shale Svod and Morris Foed Findin). At just 45 years old (nine in human terms), he is not considered able to rule yet, and so Nevil has been the leading voice for the Svodlun Dwarves until Boris is considered ready to take on full responsibility (presumably in fifty-five years when he has reached maturity). The Wizard Trade Order has seen a more pronounced presence by leaders on the local council. It has been understood that the real power is to the south, with the old leaders of the Wizard Trade Order who seek to repair Roekron, Dvod Firefist, Hamil Lighthand, and Hox Neverdream. The local leaders appear to be a council of six very odd individuals, who Roekron has come to know as The Sorters Chain. The first and most active member is a dwarven Storm Mage named Agrafor Sentrain who seems to have an excellent skill with mind control type spells (guesses are that he is level 74). Next is a Dsesnorian style --- PAGE 2 --- Page 2 human who seems to be the leading Life Mage and often acts as the face of the organization, meeting and supporting the people, named Mingling Tiantang who is very skilled with keeping people calm (he is assumed to be level 72). Third is a human with short white hair, a very pale Necromancer who seems to be extremely muscular for a mage, often being mistaken for a Knight, and has been known to wear armor from time to time. He is assumed to be level 57). He has been called Golderi, but people are not sure what his actual name is. Fourth is a coppery skinned, lithe and very tall human Nature Mage who has been known to change her appearance whenever she sees fit, and people are not even sure what her real form is. She is assumed to be somewhere around level 63 and goes by the name Terra Nyra. Fifth is a very quiet and reserved human woman who seems to blend in wherever she goes, often being mistaken for a commoner or an observer. She is believed to be only level 41 but very little has been recorded on her, other than that she is called Shrug. Last is an elemental, believed to be of energy, or perhaps electricity, who does not speak except through Elder Sorcery. It is called Myradthorn and is of uncertain level but is known to be able to call lighting and energy from objects. This team of Council Members to the Wizard Trade Order are the powerhouse behind the Trade Order side of the war. This year, The Sorters Chain have announced they are nearing a solution to the challenge of the war and rumors suggest they are very close to something new and dangerous for those who oppose them. The Dead Plague Zones: Much more contained now, the solution to the dead plague was a hard-won battle involving almost a century of research and careful testing. The problem many of the researches encountered was that everyone was infected, and that the virus was becoming more and more aware of what they were doing. It was as if the virus was able to tell its creators what people were learning about it, and this allowed its creators to hunt down and destroy those researchers. As the virus progressed it apparently accessed the optical nerve in the brain of its victims and allowed the virus to see everything the host was seeing, making writing of notes on the plague a sure way to be targeted by it. Eventually, after Astengrads attempt to disable the plague initially failed, they managed to reapply the first spell created by a key researcher, who wished to remain anonymous, but who originally discovered the scope of the problem and worked secretly for years to stop it. This spell has now been worked into the standard spell Cure Disease and Mental Illness and allows any Rank 2 Life Mage to cure the plague in ten minutes. This did not, however create a vaccine, a project mage are working on currently, with hopes that one will become available this year. As the battle against the growing forces of the Zombie Plague increased, the heroes of the land fought it at every turn and continued to clear the population of the disease discovering that fire was in fact their enemy here, and that many of the wildfires set in Einion and Hostor had an ulterior motive, of infecting the entire population of those nations and --- PAGE 3 --- Page 3 getting them to spread the plague. Once fire was removed from the situation, it became easier to clean out the plague, and the Zombies began to gather in new, strangely foggy, and overcast areas. Astengrad said that it was not exactly weather magic, but rather the type of odd effect one finds around a Dark City. It would seem that Goblin, for he is believed to be behind the Dead Plague, has found a way to fragment his Dark City Shroud in a way to create many of them, all changing, and growing with the Zombies. Within their terrifying regions, travelers are quickly overtaken and made into Zombies. Most will not venture near a Plague Zone and those lost within are often considered dead, as no one would risk a rescue. Deceivingly shifty, the edge of a plague zone can often seem to be bright and sunny only to suddenly darken and overtake unwitting wanderers. The Zombies within these regions seem to know your every move and learn from the actions of those who attack them, becoming more and more effective the more skilled their attacker. Some stories tell of certain zones in which the Zombies remember every battle they have had, and so are now more formidable than the most experience fighter. Thankfully, most believe these stories to be fanciful, as most experienced military who have ventured within believe that the learning of these Zombies is short lived and not a permanent effect. The Mists of Shabarax: During the deadly outbreak of the fissures in Illionass and the wars with the corruptive undead that followed, the demon Shabarax came to be known as the lord of this realm. There are stories of him from Astengrad, and when asked why they did not remove him, they reportedly answered that the area below the plateau is his plane, and there is nowhere to send him back to. Why he has access to this plane, however, is still not well understood, but it is believed to have something to do with the fact that the demon which was trapped in the mines named Zebagrin was in fact connected in some way to the Nonas family line, and this gives his master, Shabarax access to the lands of his family. This greater name demon now is a major new force threatening the region of Roekron, spreading undead, poison, and fear across the middle region and Blackspire. The Mists of Shabarax, as the fissure areas came to be known, appear to not just be access regions to the home plane of Shabarax, but also a means to travel instantaneously for these minions, who often enter one fissure in Blackspire only to reportedly be suddenly on the far side of Illionass. This makes any attempt to track them down nearly impossible. Mostly, Illionass has taken to destroying any undead that attempt to leave the mists, and this keeps the mists from expanding. Some brave heroes venture into the mists themselves to kill off and remove undead, freeing their spirits to return to life. Many of these spirits seem to not be native to this plane, and so leave, happily for some other realm, which many Paladins believe to be the spirits afterlife. Regardless of the details of these forays into the Mists, the minions of this region are a great danger and are being closely watched by all the main mage schools as well as the new government. --- PAGE 4 --- Page 4 The United Alliance of Roekron: Out of the chaos of the last twenty years has emerged a new government that no longer uses the supreme rule of the Empress but rather, a system of a group of individuals forming a council and each taking turns to break ties and lead the others in war. The governing body makes law that all the nations must follow and so far, have made few, other than banning slavery, Elder Sorcery of Mass Destruction, and persecution of others for speciesism reasons. The group is a diverse cross section of the nations, including mages, warriors, semi-martials, undead, elves, dwarves, hobbits, and humans alike. As yet, there is no Centaur on the council, but this is not surprising given their lack of any nation to appoint a member. There has been some debate as to how the actual number of seats is determined. Amir and Dsesnor favor a population-based system, whereas Andionion, Orieri, Einion, and The Wood Elven Protectorates oppose this. Currently it is one member per nation, and they meet twice a month for several days straight to debate and implement new policy. If nations wish to advocate to the council, they can meet them in their host country which rotates every two years, which is currently Stonehammer. This government has also created a police force that is made up of members from all the nations working together to enforce the laws and keep the peace. They are called the Honored Elite of League Military (or HELM) and serve only to oversee and enforce Alliance laws. No unit of HELM can deploy without at least three members of an Alliance country within it. They are always at least Rank 3 and often have special class training. The government looks promising if it can survive the chaos of this time period and not fall in on itself. The Reformation of Orcish Culture: Over the past twenty years the orcs have a huge change in the way they approach life. Beginning with a rift between the Shamans and the Urukai leaders, the orcs began to throw off the belief that they were somehow inferior to their bigger leaders and started to demand equal treatment in their culture. The Shamans sided with the orcs and the Urukai at first tried to put down the rebellion, but in the end had to give in due to the overwhelming numbers of orcs against them. Dagdeoth factions capitalized on this war and succeeded in garnering the support of many traditionalist orcs and urukai who prefer to keep the power structure as it has always been. Many orcs and Urukai migrated into Dagdeoth controlled parts of the nation and have agreed to help whatever --- PAGE 5 --- Page 5 factions they live with. But Blackspire, often seen as the heart of Orcish culture continued on and this new generation of orcs is unlike any other before. A renaissance of culture and art has swept through the tribal nations of Blackspire as the Shamans have led a more enlightened approach to the totem worship and interpretation of the most popular god in the region, Kulsjar Abilgash, the Fire God. Seen more as a light bringer, and a purifier of falsehood, new stories have emerged that tell of evil gods such as Dagdeoth blinding the young Kulsjar and of his journey to regain his sight, a journey which requires him to, like the Salmon, sacrifice himself to become something new. During this period of time, Dagdeoth attacked many neighbors and Blackspire attempted to help in their own way. Unfortunately, they experienced attacks from old enemies such as Stonehammer, from Davia Hold, and this became a major sticking point for why Blackspire refused involvement in the United Alliance of Roekron. In the end, The Warden of Davia Hold who had led the attack, was defeated and was given a new province within Blackspire in the Dark Spike territory. It was believed that here he would have an opponent worth fighting, and surrounded by Orcs, he could not mount another assault on the nation without risking certain death. The great leader of the nation, Turok Kinslayer, having encountered many major challenges to running the country appears to have disappeared, and turned the nation over to his council, and the Shamans to watch over the nation. As wars became frequent, the renowned war hero Bison Man has been leading the military after his numerous war victories. It is believed that his deep connection to the totem shaman ways, combined with his prowess on the battle field is what the Shaman need when Dagdeoth and the Mists of Shabarax mass for attacks as they so often do. To this day, the Urukai and Orcs do not get along well, both having felt that the other has broken an ancient agreement and that they are owed some kind of restitution from the other. Many see shades of the old feuds of the elves in these arguments, something many humans find amusing, many elves find annoying, and many historians find foreboding. Dagdeoth Upheaval: The many changes to the Dagdeoth government have resulted in a fracturing of the culture into many subsets and groups. This occurred as Dagdeoth attempted to rally around K’Gall as their new leader, and god, and this did not go over well. The fracturing to follow is largely attributed to K’Gall’s insistence on naming himself the prime deity, rather than the Dagdemar. The fact that he has seen no repercussions from the deity after making these claims has many agreeing with him, while others point to the fracturing of the Dagdeoth culture as the sign that K’Gall is wrong, and that this is his punishment. Regardless of the theory, the nation has never been so divided. Some believe that K’Gall is the new Supreme Being, the God on this Earth, and the Undertaker of the World. These groups call themselves the Legions of K’Gall and resemble most Dagdeoth before the fracturing of its culture, with the slight change that K’Gall is god, not Dagdemar, who is an aspect of K’Gall. But many objected to this philosophical change and formed their own groups. The Crusaders of the Agantine felt that their leader was indeed the true --- PAGE 6 --- Page 6 embodiment of Dagdemar, while a third group claimed Shagaoath to be the real matriarch of the country and the source through which all magic flows. All of this infighting got many groups to seek old traditional ways of being, and this spawned such groups as the Triple Templar (worshippers of the Three), The Order of the Purple Lotus, and the Bonemarks. Each has carved out a piece of the Dagdeoth nation and each works with the others from time to time, but all are suspicious of each other. Whether one will come out as the new form of Dagdeoth, or whether they will somehow form a totally new system remains to be seen, but many view this change as welcome, given that it allows them to face many smaller foes when fighting Dagdeoth instead of one massive behemoth. While this logic holds at first, others see the change as more insidious, allowing Dagdeoth to exist as separate cells which even if one is destroyed, another cell will rise up to replace it. Whether these changes are good or ill remains to be seen. Only time will tell. Dark Wilds Quiet: About seven years ago, the Dark Wilds suddenly changed. The green comet which has come to be associated with the Dark Wilds vanished from the sky and immediately the forest grew still. All the creatures and plants seemed to be straining to hear a distant voice. Many died of mana drain, and the forest went into a winter like phase, with the entire forest showing little or no activity for years. Several countries though it was a good time to take out the Wilds, and so, as Svodlun and Illionass both attempted to clear forested areas, they discovered that the dangerous guardians of the forest were not pacified. Primal Archons, powerful elemental like animals appeared in force, and like a wave the forest consumed the wood be loggers! The action was short, but decimating. And no one who disturbs the forest in its slumber lives to brag about it, gaining at least one death in the process. Why the forest has been acting so strangely is not common knowledge, but many scholars and mage teachers have mused that it seems that the mana of the forest is being drained away to another plane and thus it must conserve all the energy it can. Why this is so is still not well understood, though not waking it seems to be a very clearly outlined message. How to Implement These Changes in Game: Wizard Trade Order / Svodlun Alliance: • There mages are Op 5 now and have a base of 4 mana. • They also have more allies and minions now. They will be using Svodlun Dwarves in the armies now, along with Frostfang Veterans on Polar Bears. This means they will have a Rank 3 Dwarf with them, usually a Veteran, and sometimes one on a fully armored Polar Bear. The bear rider can pick 3 Bear abilities for these battles and use them. Bears Av is 4 due to armor. This Armor is Unbreachable. If both rider and Bear have Unbreachability this stacks to Dragon Scales. There melee attacks deal Ice. • They also have recruits from the Bandit Lands, Trolls, ogres, Giants, and Orcs all willing to join the new order of Mages. They will all be Rank 1 and don’t count as leaders. --- PAGE 7 --- Page 7 • Svodlun Dwarves will be found helping them in the south, and at sea as well. These dwarves are usually Rank 2 with max equipment, and magical items of equal rank. They will all have “Force Zombify” usable one per encounter only. • They still use slaves, but often use Zombies in their ranks as well. These Zombies take orders given by any living ally. They all have Zombify. Dead Plague Zones and Updates: • Reduction of the Dead Plague Effect: Players do not have the dead plague anymore unless a Zombie is burned in an encounter that they are in. If this happens, they will contract the plague and Zombify at the start of every encounter for the rest of the day. This can be cured by any Life Mage with Cure Disease. The Dead Plague only triggers now if a player enters the Plague Zones. Players who die no longer Zombify, unless within these zones and then, they Zombify immediately! • Revenants and Zombie Hordes: Most zombie hordes will be found in the Plague Zones. These areas are quarantined but there is little enforcement of this. Zombie Hordes outside these zones are ½ Zombie Lords, and ½ Zombies. Rarely will Revenants be found outside these zones. Inside the zones however, things are much worse. Roughly 1/3 of all the hordes are Revenants within these zones. In the zones, all Zombies, Lords, and Revenants Gifted Avoid, and learn any ability that they Avoid. Mists of Shabarax Effects • The mists of Shabarax who has been named as the demon that controls the mist has been confined to certain areas. Many battles were fought to keep the mist in its confines. No magical barrier now exists, only troops, occasional spells, and an understanding that the undead cannot be allowed to move about or the mist will grow. They must be kept underground. The mist is now usually only low to the ground, and players only take poison if they are dropped in the mist. Undead all gain Regeneration, Zombify (which interrupts their Regeneration), and Corruption Touch (for any undead- free no limit) within the mist. ▪ Minor Devils- These beings are Greater Undead, but have only 1 HP, Outsider Regenerating, and Flying (wings). They look like demons, and usually Rank 2, with a magic item of equal rank. They are leaders of the mist, and if defeated, the rest of the creatures leave the area. ▪ Soricie - Minor Undead HP 1, Mana 2, Size 2-3, vestigial transparent wings. (sometimes glide or flying). Martial arts, vitals only, Instant Ethereal, 20 count Charm on down players only (no Tier limit) ▪ Scoopy Hands (Resistant to attacks and have spirit bury which is a permanent curse if used on a dead player). They are Immune only in the fissures and are killed if no mist is present even for a second. ▪ Species type Ghouls! (Cave Troll, Hill Giants, Turuk Orc, Death Ogre etc.) ▪ Specter Skeletons ▪ Falcrin Wisps- (Wisp Guard with additional abilities) Earthbind Ball, Av/0 Poison Ray. ▪ Stolen Undead. These are all kinds of things like Wraiths, Apparitions, and Haunts that have been Corrupted by the mist and now they fight for it. The United Alliance of Roekron: • Many nations now are members of the United Alliance of Roekron. These groups have non- aggression pacts. They also resolve their disputes through a council with a rotating leader who can break ties and whose country must provide leadership in war times. The members of these councils are selected using whatever means their country deems fit (votes, battles, debates, bribes, etc.) • Any attack on any nation will be taken as an on all the nations. The symbol of the golden crown made of a many hands, each of a different species is the sign of the United Alliance of Roekron. • Current members are: Dsesnor, Orieri, Andionion, Einion, The Wood Elven Protectorate, Hostor, --- PAGE 8 --- Page 8 Amir and Aramir, Illionass, Odilathen, Stonehammer, and Sorikonia. • UPDATE (12-18-18) The twelve members of the High Council are as follows Dsesnor = Keri Nimbus Shockval, Orieri=Plythin Glissori, Andionion =Tyree Farel Kurni, Einion = Colin Mercia, The Wood Elven Protectorate = Willeve Killaneve, Hostor = Nelian Echos, Amir = Galif Akis, Aramir = Felicity Aramir, Illionass = Maria Sioren, Odilathen = Thugurmock, Stonehammer = Yukon Char Svod Olden, Sorikonia = Chi’en Natanadi. • UPDATE (12-18-18) HELM troops will always be at least Rank 3 each, all of them, and must have members from at least three of the allied nations within their ranks. The group will be equally divided amongst these three types of groups. Examples include, Pinnacle Mages, with Amir Fencers, and Gramion Guard, OR Einion Military, with Dsesnor Crane Clan, and Odilathen Rebels. These teams are always at least three members, and small teams with one from each nation will mostly be investigators, while larger armies of thirty or so (all Rank 3!) will be for enforcement and peacekeeping. Reformation of Orcish Culture: • A civil was within the Orcs was narrowly averted. Orcs have been rising up against the Urukai who they have begun to be viewed not as their leaders, but as their overlords. Divisions between the two have become wider. Orcs should be played as smarter than before. They seem to have realized that they are not as dumb as they have been told they are. Most should be Dense at first, then Low Intelligence at Rank 1, and then Average at Rank 2. Some even seem to possess Above Average Intelligence as they get to higher ranks, though usually this is only the Shamans. To role play this correctly, players should only use the Above Average Intelligence feature if the orc isn’t trying to use it. They can only happen upon this “insight” but not approach it directly. Urukai have had the opposite effect. They should begin as Low Intelligence now, and only be Average at Rank 1. Dagdeoth Upheaval: • Dagdeoth had many breaks and minor uprisings over the time jump. They now have many factions and groups working independently towards their own goals with their own generals. These main groups are Legions of K’Galls, Crusaders of the Agantine, Triple Templar, Order of the Purple Lotus, Shaoagath Priests, and Bone Marks. o Legions of K’Gall are loyal to K’Gall only. They fight for his aims and goals no matter what they are. He is seen as the god, not Dagdeoth. o Crusaders of the Agantine are worshipers of their numerous Agantine Wraiths (some thirty or more now). They follow them around and believe that becoming the Wraith is the highest honor and usually are only humans. They do not follow K’Gall, but do worship Dagdeoth. They believe they are on a quest to become the one true Agantine Wraith. They always appear with an Agantine Wraith (Knight Wraith, Rank 2 Ranger, Item of Ward, and various other items). Opponents in these encounters are always taking Fear. They always have two, Rank 2 Crusaders of the Dagdemar with them, using Claymores that deal Agantine to down players and also swing for Warded Agantine Fear. o Triple Templar are a new group of elite fighters, usually all Rank 2 or higher, using various magical items, who worship the Three (Crucept, Dagdameon, and Sorrowveil). They do not follow Dagdeoth as much, but support his goals. They are attempting to bring back the demons from their imprisonment inside the Sisters. o Order of the Purple Lotus is a group of Elite Assassins. They have infiltrated many groups and organizations, including the Dagdeoth ones. They are known to be excellent killers, but actually are rarely the Assassin class. They are trained to assassinate, but this ability is difficult to detect, and will not read on an Identify. They are not encountered as a group, but are considered spread out across many groups. If you are playing one, assume you --- PAGE 9 --- Page 9 have three Assassin or Thief abilities of any Rank, but these abilities cannot be detected by any normal means. You can also choose to turn them on or off instantly. o Shagaoath Priest are loyal only to Shagaoath the lady of Dagdeoth. She is seen as the embodiment of Dagdemar in this plane and the controller of magic. All magic must move through her or be destroyed. They are particularly skilled at killing mages, and all have Shrouded Dispel Magic which kills the caster of the Dispel Spell! These units also have several Rank 3 mages who will have focused on countering Elder Sorcery. They are base 4 mana, and can use ANY OP so long as they say “With the Elder Sorcery of Shagaoath…” as an additional cost to cast their spell. o The Bone Marks are a group that views undead as a viable force for Dagdeoth as attempts to bring them back to power. They have several Dark Guard Skynights who have returned to the fray and operate as their leaders. They often function like old style Dagdeoth troops, with a skeleton, a specter, a war troll, an ogre, and a human or Urukai as their main troops. Dark Wilds Quiet: • The Dark wilds seems to have been sapped of a lot of its energy. Many feel it is being drained away to some other plane. It is quiet and still, almost in a trance all the time, unless disturbed, and when it is, it is very violent. Other Miscellaneous Updates: • Davia Hold falls in a bloody war with Sezolath. This war is the reason Blackspire has not joined the United Alliance of Roekron. Thousands died in this war, and in the end, the trolls decided the victory, becoming part of Blackspire, and taking the keep for themselves. They are now the Trollsilvan Tribe of Blackspire. • The Level of Magic: OP is 4 again. • Fae have experienced a die off, but are recovering. Most will be younger. Anyone who is fae should pull for death. • Temnor is very strong and expanding. They seem to be focused on fighting the Wizards Trade Order. They should be played as more True Neutral and less evil when discussing the Wizards Trade Order, but Neutral evil regarding other nations. Details: Play Locations are – Wednesday League = Glimindel (Dsesnor) Helios = as above Thursday League = Pinnacle (Hostor) REACH = as above Club League = Special (day one in the Dark Wilds) (all over- Quest based) Character League = Hawk Haven (Amir) Adult League = Special (Day one in Amir Ford) (specific goal- Quest based)