Introduction
Alacaron is the name of a campaign setting I have been working on for two years now. Alacaron is a unique setting unlike anything you have seen before.
Alacaron is combination of three major continents, Aldoria, Stratton, and Alacaron. Aldoria is an old world ruled by hundreds of Cartels. These cartels are noble families who's power base is built upon who has the most money. Each cartel focuses on a few small aspects of commerce. A largely capitalistic society, Aldoria is ruled by the First Family and the council of ten. The ten most powerful houses jockey for power, each striving to reach the first seat. Each house has been first house at least once. Most commoners swear allegiance to a house and wear their colors. The current First House is House Gudarrak, a cartel known for their fine wands and staffs.
Stratton has long been the neutral ground for each cartel, being a free state, several of the laws that apply in Aldoria do not in Stratton. However, a horrible cataclysm struck the city-continent shattering the Stratton. A horrible plague tore through, causing the dead to rise up as hungry plague carrying ghouls. When these ghouls attacked the living, the victim would slowly die from the incurable disease and rise again as an Unforgotten, a new race of intelligent undead. Most people refuse to acknowledge the Unforgotten as a people, however there are more liberal circles of society who embrace the new [note]Races: One of my goals in making this setting is that I would take all the core races and make them new and different. My hope was that when someone thought of an elf, they would be surprised by what they saw. A player normally chooses which area he is from and bases this on his race. [/note] people.
As the last living survivors escaped, a powerful Lich named Zhuud foresaw the spread of the necromantic disease that created the ghouls. He created a barrier that stopped the magic from spreading at the sacrifice of his own Phylactery and his unlife. The survivors floated for three months until they came to the shores of Alacaron to the east. There the survivors founded the city of New Stratton.
That was 100 years ago. The Cartels saw the loss of Stratton as a set back, but Alacaron is rich in new and unique natural resources. Plus new people to trade with. Most of the Cartels see Stratton's loss as their gain.
Races
Aldoria:
High Elf: High elves use the racial traits presented in the Player's Handbook. They are powerful members of the Capitalist regime, and most of the highest seats in the Cartel Council are held by Elven Families. Elves tend to be haughty and self centered, looking down on those lesser in station then them.
Dwarf: As a rule, there is only one type of dwarf (as far as most of the unbearded-races know. Dwarves are one of the oldest. Older some say then elves, they are skilled sailors and many have immigrated to New Stratton. Dwarves are gruff and rude, but enjoy the company of other races.
Gnome: Gnomes are the seediest of characters. They are dark and malicious, often having little care for the prices they must pay. Gnomes hunger for knowledge, especially dark and forbidden knowledge, often times Gnomes make deals with devils and demons. House Glitterhome is rumored to have half-fiend scions ruling it.
Stratton:
Unforgotten: Once a huge metropolis bustling with life, Stratton now is only home to the Unforgotten and marauding ghouls. They powerful necromantic energy that had destroyed the city a century ago has left the land polluted and dirty. Unforgotten are more then capable of moving outside of Zhuud's Barrier, and several Undead have migrated to New Stratton where they receive a little acceptance. Aldorians rarely can stand the stench of rotten flesh however.
Alacaron:
Wood Elves: The Makamae (or Wood Elves as the other races call them) are an island people who follow a religion based upon the jungle animals. They live on an island with a raging volcano and an ice capped mountain. Wood Elves tend to be more accepting then their High Elven brethren, and enjoy traveling to other towns bringing fish, artwork and weaponry for trade.
Orcs: The Orcs live in the far easter part of Alacaron, they are a race of Samurai Warriors who follow a strict code of honor. Having freed themselves from the grasp of Hobgoblin slavers eons ago, they now live a simple life of ritualistic battle. Orcs are almost always lawful, skilled with katanas, and follow the code in all aspects of life.
Half-Giants: Having recently pushed away the chains of slavery from the Hobgoblins (with help from Orc ninjas) Half-Giant refugees now are being integrated into Orc society with the help of many Orc monasteries and ancestral temples.
Other Races:
Alacaron is still mostly unexplored, there have been reports of winged people living in the canyon walls, herds of beastmen worshiping dark gods, and other even more outlandish stories.
The Living Dead
He awoke in the dark, he wasn't cold, nor uncomfortable, but he knew something was wrong. He rose from the bed, and looked himself in the mirror. His skin was dank and gray, his hair now clung limply to his skull, his eye sockets were sunken and filled with softly glowing eyes that glimmered green. His body was now preserved like beef jerky. He looked to the corner and saw a blue glowing staff and a thick book. He wondered what those were for.
Born from the effects of a horrible accident that obliterated most of life on Stratton. Living Dead are sentient creatures
similar to liches. They were born from hideous necromantic magic and spiritual forces, however they are individuals that can choose to be good or evil just like any other character. After their transformation, the Living Dead forget any class abilities he had in life, lose any levels, and have no memory of their former life. Usually it doesn't matter what they were in life as long as they were Humanoid. The Stats below represent a medium-sized Living Dead. If the character was smaller (like a gnome) they change their racial abilities accordingly (including any penalties). Socially, it doesn't matter what they were in life. (In the eyes of NPCs, an "Ogre" Living Dead and a "Gnome" Living Dead are just Living Dead.
There are two major types of Living Dead: The Forsaken (plague carrying hungry monsters) and the Unforgotten
Unforgotten Racial Traits [note]Unforgotten and your game: The Forsaken Plaguebearers carry with them a horrible disease that slowly kills its victim and transforms them into Unforgotten. The Plague is a plot device, I will never give it true game statistics (like a real disease) because this is an illness that is incredibly powerful, bolstered by epic level magic, and capable of throwing a huge loop into the game. The disease is not meant as an encounter like Mummy Rot, there is no cure for it (So far, potentially you could base a campaign around trying to fight the disease), however, I would never make a player suffer from the disease unless they were bored of their current character and wanted to make something new. Also, if we were starting over the game, and a player wanted to use his character's body, a campaign may start out that way.
In loose terms, the Plague can kill in a few weeks or a few months, depending on the strength of the victim. A horrible sore that never heals sprouts at the site of the bite and only worsens. As a DM, you can decide how much pain the victim suffers. Most symptoms include sores, rotting from the inside out, delirium, lack of hunger and thirst, and finally, death, followed by undeath. The body raises from the dead 1d3 days later without any knowledge of its past life.[/note]
Living Dead Subtype (EX:) Unforgotten are humanoids with the Living Dead Subtype. A Living Dead is an unnaturally created being given sentience through a complex and epic leveled spell that killed most of the population of Stratton.
Features: As a Living Dead, an Unforgotten has the following traits:
- An Unforgotten derives its Hit Dice, Base Attack, bonus progression, saving throws, and skill points from the class it selects.
- Unlike other Undead, an Unforgotten has a Constitution score and gains (or loses) bonus hit points through a Constitution bonus (or penalty) as with other living creatures.
- Unlike other undead, a living dead does not have darkvision.
- Unlike other undead, a living dead is not immune to mind-influencing effects.
- Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, disease, nausea, fatigue, exhaustion, and energy drain.
- Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal living dead.
- Living dead react to injury and death the same way living creatures do.
- Unlike other undead, living dead are subject to critical hits, effects requiring a Fort save, death from massive damage, nonlethal damage, stunning, ability damage, ability drain, and death effects or necromancy effects.
- Unlike other undead, a living dead can use the run action.
- Living dead can be affected by spells that target living humanoids as well as by those that target undead (except for control undead). If either a living creature or an undead would be damaged more than the other by the same spell, then a living dead takes the worst damage of the two. Detect undead and deathwatch reveal living dead and allow the caster to distinguish living dead from undead and the living. The turning/rebuking power of clerics work as normal, except that living dead can never be destroyed or commanded in this fashion.
- Not affected by raise dead or reincarnate. Resurrection or true resurrection returns them to undead status, only wish or miracle can bring an undead back to the living.
- Does not need to sleep, but must rest for 8 hours before preparing spells and to benefit from natural healing.
- Does not need to eat, but can still benefit from the effects of consumable spells and magic items such as heroes' feast and potions.
- Does not need to breathe.
-Unforgotten are Medium sized.
-Unforgotten base speed is 30 ft.
-Favored Class: Any. Unforgotten are born as empty slates, and can learn to be whatever they choose to be.
-Bonus Languages: Common. Unforgotten do not remember languages they knew in life (even if they spoke elven as a first language) but somehow mystically know and understand Common. Scholars believe this is part of the magic that animates their bodies.
The Unforgotten Psyche
Unforgotten tend to be drab, shy, and quite. They keep themselves guarded around the living, but tend to open up around their undead peers. Some undead hate their state, and wish to return to life (out of curiosity as to what that life was) and will quest all over the globe searching for secrets to their curse. Others feel they have been blessed by Zhuud or other gods, and that they are the Chosen Messiahs of Zhuud, waiting to bring about the Fifth Age.
However, both of those are extreme sides of the spectrum. Most Unforgotten feel nothing about their state, and wander the globe out of boredom. It was a hundred years ago that Stratton fell to the Plague, and to this day some of the original Unforgotten adventure through the Steaming Jungles of Makamae. Unforgotten do not feel the effects of weather (except in the very extreme) so feel just at home in the desert as well as the harsh north, making them perfect for adapting to tough environments.
Wow, i'm such a dummy, I accidentally deleted my cool introduction. So I'm going to have to redo it later.
bump