Take aim and post here for discussion of the Asilikos Campaign Setting (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?39455).
We all know the smell of apocalypse is irresistable, so fire away.
Cut and Pasted (was too slow in bringing this thread up)
Quote from: LordVreeg[blockquote=KoR]There are many worlds of the Mortal Coil besieged by the forces of uttermost good and evil from the realms of belief;[/blockquote]
Love, love, love this line. Well said.
(of course, the neutrals want their share, but I am nitpicking)
[blockquote=kOr]Gods of the Toma '" These eight gods arose as a reaction to the death of their forebears in The Shearing, and carry most of the burden of preserving mortal life. Though some are wicked, they are all strongly bound to work together and do not seek to bring about the end of the world or the destruction of their mortal charges. Each also represents one of the schools of magic.[/blockquote]
Ahh. A mature cosmology, full of dieties with portfolios people might follow.
(But Death, Necromancy, and....Trade??? )
I also like the draconic dieties having dual roles, both patron of a species and humanoid portfolios as well.
Love the transformations of the drow and dark elves, and how it is reflected in the worship. But what does a drow who uses and respects enchantment, the mind, and self-empowerment? Can they worship sami Anad?
Thanks for enjoying my...choice of words, I suppose. :D
The Toma: As you see, the idea is a single pantheon that encompasses a pretty broad range of mortal interests. The choice of these portfolios is, perhaps, strange, but I have a plan for it. In fact, had I posted the full range for each, reconciling trade and necromancy would likely be the least of your concerns (I should have those up very soon in fact, once I smoothe out new domain concepts).
Dragons: I always wanted to work with the premise of dragons having dominion over the most primal aspects of creation, among other things. With the work on Wrath and Greed leading to many other lines of thought about dragons (a subject close to my heart), I have some tentative work done on significantly and consistently expanding the 'canonical' draconic pantheon and how it interacts with other dragon types established over the years (linnorms, landwyrms, etc.).
Drow: Yet another 'I always wanted...' thing; making the drow a bit more visible, and give them a new environment. In this case, there were also influences from Morrowind that I have to admit to. As to worship: Lolth is 'it' for the drow pantheon, just like the other racial deities; most of the drow follow her still, and given that they live far out to sea on floating, living cities they have less exposure to the Toma. But they can indeed worship Sami Anad and her brethen, and I'll get to how these pantheons interact hopefully soon.
[blockquote-kOr]But they can indeed worship Sami Anad and her brethen, and I'll get to how these pantheons interact hopefully soon.[/blockquote]
Well, in that case, I'll stay tuned.
It's good to see you here KoR. I'm going to hold off for the most part commenting until there is more material and not just stuff to nitpick. :P
Are the fenwyr more humanoid or animalistic?
If you're referring to physical description, humanoid.
This is exactly the kind of setting I like most: start with a fairly basic, familiar concept - in this case, "world ravaged by celestials and fiends" - then spice it up with some interesting little twists and some nicely written prose. I also like the wide scope of options available to players when it comes to races and classes; this would definitely be a fun setting in which to have a character.
I like the descriptions, and I also like the original names given to many of the stereotypical D&D races (drow, kobolds, etc.). On the other hand, I was a bit jarred out of the narrative every time a Core D&D deity was mentioned by name. Being surrounded by all sorts of new and interesting characters, the Core deities come across as being rather bland and out-of-place. I would recommend at least renaming them (and parenthetically listing their old names) the way you did with certain races.
Lolth in particular seemed rather strange. Having a benevolent Lolth is like naming an evil archmage Gandalf. There's no reason that you can't have an evil archmage named Gandalf, and he might be completely unrelated to Tolkien's works, but Gandalf's going to invite imagery of - and comparison to - the Gandalf, no matter how different he is.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that everything you created for this setting is brilliant. My only real reservations have to do with characters that weren't specifically created for this settings, primarily because they pale in comparison to the 'natives' and remind me of the less-inventive settings in which they originally appeared.
P.S. The setting thread could use a link to the discussion thread in its first post.
Quote from: Epic MeepoThis is exactly the kind of setting I like most: start with a fairly basic, familiar concept - in this case, "world ravaged by celestials and fiends" - then spice it up with some interesting little twists and some nicely written prose. I also like the wide scope of options available to players when it comes to races and classes; this would definitely be a fun setting in which to have a character.
I like the descriptions, and I also like the original names given to many of the stereotypical D&D races (drow, kobolds, etc.). On the other hand, I was a bit jarred out of the narrative every time a Core D&D deity was mentioned by name. Being surrounded by all sorts of new and interesting characters, the Core deities come across as being rather bland and out-of-place. I would recommend at least renaming them (and parenthetically listing their old names) the way you did with certain races.
Lolth in particular seemed rather strange. Having a benevolent Lolth is like naming an evil archmage Gandalf. There's no reason that you can't have an evil archmage named Gandalf, and he might be completely unrelated to Tolkien's works, but Gandalf's going to invite imagery of - and comparison to - the Gandalf, no matter how different he is.
So, I guess what I'm saying is that everything you created for this setting is brilliant. My only real reservations have to do with characters that weren't specifically created for this settings, primarily because they pale in comparison to the 'natives' and remind me of the less-inventive settings in which they originally appeared.
P.S. The setting thread could use a link to the discussion thread in its first post.
Thanks. Prose is generally what I'm best at; mechanics...not so much but I usually manage to wrangle solutions fairly well.
As far as the non-originals, I do sort of agree, even now at the outset. I generally have not used racial deities (being to me an illogical concept), but I thought they would be an excellent way to present the past as it's reflected in the divine/cosmic history of Asilikos (and something 'familiar' to grasp for some people, I suppose). I like the idea of renaming them, and I will see what I can do about that. Further, it's probable that these will be presented as 'alternate aspects' or somesuch to distance them even further from the original concepts. Integrating them is a WIP, largely fueled by the desire to see Yondalla as the patron of OoTs's Belkar :cool: , if nothing else.
Lots of really fun stuff here. I usually dislike a few elements you incorporate here, such as racial gods, but you put such an interesting spin on them I find myself really enjoying the flavor. I do agree with Epic Meepo, however - the existence of existing racial gods hurts the setting more than it helps. I also really like the separation of fiends and celestials from gods, making it into a three sided war as opposed to simply good v. evil.
QuoteFrom the storm of divine energies born that day came the Toma
The dragons and their gods, long put to slumber in the depths of time by the gods of old, have returned in power to assume mastery over much of what is left.[/quote]Amidst forgotten legacies, mad elementals, twisted aberrations, duplicitous dragons, diminished cosmic beings, and gods both ascending to new heights of power and descending into gloom and madness are the last keys to survival. Mortals, preserved by will and might and what faith can still live on, exist in scattered pockets and shielded societies, the fringes of magical wildernesses and hovering on the verge between nightmares and dreams. Steel exists still, in hand and mind and will, and heroes and villains alike arise to wrest back their world from the brink of apocalypse. It is a world unlike any other, neither living nor dying but waiting for someone to decide its fate. It is eternal apocalypse. It is hopeless, and eternally hopeful. It is Asilikos.[/quote]The Shearing freed the drow as no amount of effort on the part of the Seldarine could, and over the three centuries since have completely altered their former wickedness and hatred of light to breathe the salty airs of the seas. Dwelling in enormous living cities on the backs of gargantuan shellfish, the drow are a completely remade people that are content to stand aside from the strife of the land dwellers[/quote]Facets
Crystals grow on the shores of the Massethar, forests of glittering spires that resonate with the powers of the mind. But these are not just natural (or supernatural) formations, they are the origin of the facets. Stunted, mobile shards of crystal, the ability of the facets to focus and channel psionic power is unmatched.
Favored Class: Psion[/quote]Fenwyr
The wolflike fenwyr were once the true masters of the wilderness, and were the servants of the fey court in times long past. Now they guard the few remaining connections to Annwn, and serve the dragon Diarath in protecting nature from the chaotic ravages of the world itself.
Favored Class: Druid[/quote]
Maybe I missed something, but what is Annwn? the faerie realm? (Btw, that word could use another vowel) I love the general idea, and kudos for avoiding the usual "Lup" or "Lyc" name for the wolf men. What is Diarath like? Do they worship him/her, or is he/she just a powerful ally? Also, when it comes to favored class, the culture you described seems more like rangers to me - why druids?
Oh, and the shadowfolk and stormborn sound amazingly awesome - I'd love to see more about their culture.
Question for you: It seems like all your races have a pretty homogenous culture. Does the same hold true for humans, or do they have variable cultures. If so, why do only humans have different cultures and other races only have a solitary culture?
Great stuff, and I look forward to seeing more. :)
Oh, on a final note - you might want to link back to the content thread from here.
Augh! What do I reply to first? :D
Racial Gods: I will seriously continue to work at that; as with all these other new spins (my reasons for putting this out in the first place is the freshness of the concept), I'm sure I can arrange something.
The Storm: It is just that, The Storm. And it still rages over the former homeland of the halflings, spewing out a divine sort of wild magic that is so cool...I haven't any clue what it does yet. But The Storm is, for lack of a better term, the lock itself on Asilikos. It is the source of the continuing disruption of the fabric, and the ultimate key to its end. The flavor on this is probably going to be a while in coming.
Dragons: Only the ones I term 'First Brood' (Bahamut, Chronepsis, and Tiamat) are commonly visible to most and have strong followings. Divine dragons do hold sway over some parts of Asilikos, but I haven't determined to what extent yet. The dragons are indeed a match for the other forces, but at the same time theyare a)just as locked to the world as the others, and b) the energies of all but the First Brood are also keping Asilikos together to a degree (or rather, keeping it from shaking all life to pieces). Mortal dragons are fairly uncommon (or are no more common than what might be called default), and though they are, perhaps, more devoted to these fully-present deities than the agnostic norm elsewher they are generally little changed from the MM entries by and large. This is due to the fact that they, for all intents and purposes, just woke up and have yet to fully establish themselves.
All Kinds of Win: Thanks.
Drow: That's gonna take some time more to fully justify, but I will explain it. And the dwarves aren't doing so badly either. Its primarily the elves and halflings that got hit bad, and though I don't intend to make them plunge into Athasian-style antics, they will certainly not be their usual cheerful selves.
Facets: I've been torn on that decision, actually. My intent was first a sort of dwarf-like humanoid studded with crystal; that was meh. When I posted that, I was thinking something more insectoid, like a crysmal (2nd edition; updated in Dragon only, I believe). Now I lean far more in the direction you also seem to like. But I'm getting to that.
Annwn: That is the proper spelling for it in this case, and is a reference to a part of the Plane of Faerie as it is being created at Dicefreaks. One could call it 'Near Faerie', and like the transitive planes is still accessible to Asilikos. I honestly need to browse the subject over there more before I can expand the thought, but it is the only 'link' that may still be open to farther ventures at this time. That's sort of a proto-thought still.
Fenwyr: Thanks on the name. I was sick of a bastardization of the word 'lycanthrope' and its cousins too.
Diarath: I'll simply say, think The Lion King. With scales. And a breath weapon.
Fenwyr and Diarath: Allies, primarily. And the reason they don't favor rangers is because that's taken. I was really trying to have each race have a distinct favored class.
Shadowfolk and Stormborn: Thanks, and they're my favorites, personally (as well as being some of the oldest PC races I've had brewing for some time and have been dying to stat and fit into a niche).
Homogneity: Hmm...good points. I mention ethnicities above, and now I can see why they've been a sticking point so far. I agree to the patent illogic of having multicultural humans and homogenous nonhumans, but there's a certain practicality that vies with in creating compelling flavor for them all. I will likely trim the ethnicities down. Further, because most civilization is lumped close together, there is a high degree of cosmopolitan sentiment that would cause the ethnic differences fade away, and this may be how I'll delve into it.
Thanks for your input.
Quote from: Knight of RavensI agree to the patent illogic of having multicultural humans and homogenous nonhumans...
On the other hand, having multicultural humans vs. homogenus nonhumans is a very clever way to justify humans being a dominant race. The ability to look at the world from many different perspectives instead of a single racial perspective is a clear advantage for humans.
Quote from: Epic MeepoQuote from: Knight of RavensI agree to the patent illogic of having multicultural humans and homogenous nonhumans...
Okay, granted. But at the same time, everyone's...things...are in the wringer on Asilikos; there's not so much a question of dominance there anymore, and no reason to establish it that I can see. Humans' advantage, in this case, is probably going to be that a few of their realms were not hit so hard. They have an infrastructure still extant that others have been falling back to.
Quote from: Epic MeepoQuote from: Knight of RavensI agree to the patent illogic of having multicultural humans and homogenous nonhumans...
The other option is to relegate most races to a homogeneous culture since they lack the area necessary to have multiple cultures, have other races with multiple cultures, and then put humans with the most to justify their dominant culture.
I don't think you can't have humans being the only nonhomogeneous culture. I just think it needs to be explained if it is that way. :)
Quote from: Knight of RavensQuote from: Epic MeepoQuote from: Knight of RavensI agree to the patent illogic of having multicultural humans and homogenous nonhumans...
Okay, granted. But at the same time, everyone's...things...are in the wringer on Asilikos; there's not so much a question of dominance there anymore, and no reason to establish it that I can see. Humans' advantage, in this case, is probably going to be that a few of their realms were not hit so hard. They have an infrastructure still extant that others have been falling back to.
Actually, that raises a question:
What is the dominate/baseline race/group for Asilikos?
Oh, and where'd you get the name? It sounds greek, but I don't know enough to know if it's a real word.
Quote from: EclipseQuote from: Knight of RavensQuote from: Epic MeepoQuote from: Knight of RavensI agree to the patent illogic of having multicultural humans and homogenous nonhumans...
Okay, granted. But at the same time, everyone's...things...are in the wringer on Asilikos; there's not so much a question of dominance there anymore, and no reason to establish it that I can see. Humans' advantage, in this case, is probably going to be that a few of their realms were not hit so hard. They have an infrastructure still extant that others have been falling back to.
Actually, that raises a question:
What is the dominate/baseline race/group for Asilikos?
Oh, and where'd you get the name? It sounds greek, but I don't know enough to know if it's a real word.
I haven't considered any race as dominant now; pre-Shearing it would have been humans.
The name is not real afaik; it came as a bastardization of the word basilisk. Originally, I was brainstorming a world that would offer new niches for dragons and their gods, and the word stuck out as a place to start.
I like the bastardization. Are basilisks going to be playing any sort of significant role, even metaphorically, in the setting, or is it just going to remain a name?
(BTW, I could see a fun cult organizing around the petrification and thus stability the basilisk's gaze offers in the face of a consistently unstable world.)
Quote from: Epic MeepoQuote from: KoRFurther, because most civilization is lumped close together, there is a high degree of cosmopolitan sentiment that would cause the ethnic differences fade away, and this may be how I'll delve into it.[/blockquote] Yeah, I think you might need to go here.
Quote from: EclipseI like the bastardization. Are basilisks going to be playing any sort of significant role, even metaphorically, in the setting, or is it just going to remain a name?
(BTW, I could see a fun cult organizing around the petrification and thus stability the basilisk's gaze offers in the face of a consistently unstable world.)
Congrats. You are the first recipient of a cookie. That's brilliant, and I will (with your permission of course) use it.
But to answer your question, no. Basilisk means 'little king', 'princeling', sometimes (depending on the source) 'royal lizard' or somesuch; just used that idea as an application to noble dragons.
Quote from: Knight of RavensCongrats. You are the first recipient of a cookie. That's brilliant, and I will (with your permission of course) use it.
But to answer your question, no. Basilisk means 'little king', 'princeling', sometimes (depending on the source) 'royal lizard' or somesuch; just used that idea as an application to noble dragons.
By all means, go ahead. It fits your setting much better than it would fit any of mine. :) Plus, I'm honored you like. :D
Quote from: EclipseQuote from: Knight of RavensCongrats. You are the first recipient of a cookie. That's brilliant, and I will (with your permission of course) use it.
But to answer your question, no. Basilisk means 'little king', 'princeling', sometimes (depending on the source) 'royal lizard' or somesuch; just used that idea as an application to noble dragons.
By all means, go ahead. It fits your setting much better than it would fit any of mine. :) Plus, I'm honored you like. :D
Many thanks. The honor is mine.
Human notes added
[blockquote=KoR]Kol Lilux
Sister in Shadow, Souldealer
Greater Goddess (Toma)
Symbol The outline of an eye made from finger bones
Alignment Lawful Evil
Portfolio Death, judgment, necromancy, trade, undead
Domains Commerce, Darkness, Death, Judgment*, Mercantile*, Undeath
Favored Weapon Red Strike (shortspear)
Kol Lilux is the flow of wealth and fate throughout Asilikos, dealing out the former sparingly and the latter magnanimously. But though she is evil, her interests remain tied to keeping a balance between the living and the dead, particularly if there is hope in rebuilding the world from the aftereffects of The Shearing. She is the least approachable, but perhaps the most reasonable of the evil members of the Toma. Her clerics directly or indirectly control most of the trade in Asilikos' more civilized regions, but as a whole their rates and conditions are set at a fair rate (fair being profitable to them, but not truly debilitating to common tradesmen).
As long as The Shearing's aftereffects keep the channels to the Realms Beyond closed, Kol Lilux is the only route for mortals not serving the Remnant to the Veil of Ghosts, the temporary rest for souls since the cataclysm. In the fortress-city of Grim Rock, she judges souls and dispatches them to the Veil as appropriate; to those that wish to deal or barter with her, there are always negotiable prices for undeath and/or continued existence, providing there is both reason and payment provided. In the Souldealer's belief, the closing of the planar connections is an extenuating circumstance to the rule of immediate judgment of souls. Kol Lilux is the patroness of judges and magistrates, merchants, and corrupt nobles.[/blockquote]
Ok, I might be overreacting. Wouldn't be the first time, especially after I get into a good Barolo.
I'm really digging the payment and trade of souls part of this, and i find the way you tie this to the the flow of trade (sort of like the balance of fate and the balance of trade) really interesting...but not evil. Not close to evil. And if merchants and honest traders are going to follow her, evil may not fly.
Now, I don't know about the human interpretations of the different aspects that make up Kol Liux. I focus heavily on humanities inability to comprehend the myraid aspects of a divine being in my setting. But in terms of what I have read here that is not the case. Clue me in. At least I'm taking the time to ask.
No, I see yor point on what is provided. I haven't delved into her viler aspects, but set up more or less the framework for how they attract and interact with their mortal adherents.
Alignment is often overemphasized, in my opinion; too much emphasis is placed on making sure a being or creature fits into the narrow abstractions of the two axes. Now don't get me wrong, alignment is also a useful tool, but with the Toma I'm trying to stretch the gods away from being wrapped around their alignments or forced to fit within them.
The Toma largely benefit mortals; they are relatively allied despite alignment differences, genuinely seek to keep the world from slipping further into destruction (failing that, find a way to let it slip...softly, I guess, into oblivion), and their conflicts lie more along their applications than their intents, a more political disagreement than emotional (in general, and keeping in mind that I haven't established all the pitfalls yet).
Kol Lilux is the most visible of the three evil Toma, and the most worshiped. Her role as the patroness of trade affords her church wealth and luxury far beyond what most achieve in a world fighting to survive.
Aha! There's the rub. For in that sleep of death, what deals may come? :D
Lilux is a tyrant and monopolist, and anyone that deals with her to extend life or become undead is now a slave to her. I didn't quite establish how these deals go in the post, but they are certainly not 'cash on hand' sort of prospects. There is extortion, graft, and downright ruthless business policies rampant among the faithful and in her court.
Further, Kol Lilux is a merry purveyor of undeath. While the rest of the Toma (Raxhi Scoll in particular) finds this abominable, she keeps her animated playthings confined only to the realms of Curnush and H'Draal, where she is most influential. Thus far this grudgingly satisfies the other gods, but she is still looking for a way to spread the undead farther. In one respect, she may see a world wracked with the unliving as the most survivable possibility for mortals should an end be found.
Does that make it clearer? I'll be getting back to the Toma once I have a history together and flesh out the Keepers and the Remnant more.
Quote from: EclipseMaybe I missed something, but what is Annwn? the faerie realm? (Btw, that word could use another vowel)
As the project head for the material Knight of Ravens is drawing from (DF's Faerie Project), I'll explain this. Annwn (pronounced roughly "an-noon") is a Welsh word for one mythological location that is an appropriate equivalent to D&D's Faerie. Yes, Annwn is actually how it's spelled; the letter 'w' can be a vowel in the Welsh language.
Annwn is quite similar to the Plane of Faerie as presented in the Manual of the Planes; in addition, it allows travel between worlds much like the Shadow does in some cosmologies, and is also connected to a deeper layer of Faerie known as Ladinion. Annwn is typically the home of powerful (sometimes deifically) but reclusive Faerie Lords; a separate group exists for each mortal world's piece of Annwn. Like deities, the power (or presence) of Faerie Lords such as these vary from world to world. Knight of Ravens has indicated that the rulers of Asilikos's Annwn have likely been wiped out by the Shearing, but he hasn't made a choice for sure because he hasn't reviewed all of DF's Faerie material. For more on DF's take on Faerie, see the link in my signature.
Thanks, MM; I wasn't sure precisely what to say on the issue yet, given how little I've reviewed the material so far. Depending on how the week goes, I may tackle that over the weekend as a post concerning the cosmic forces that remain.
History should also be up by Saturday night, if I find the time.
No problem, KoR. By the way, there are some aspects of your world that are looking increasingly like they could make excellent use of Faerie material. I'll discuss the specifics with you once you actually know what I'm talking about, but suffice to say that you should be able to get a lot of mileage out of the Court of the Undying Season. And please hold off on delving far into that basilisk cult until then, too. ;)
Um, okay. :-p
(Man, the selection of smilies here is great!)
Just for clarification: did The Shearing completely cut off Asilikos from the rest of the Cosmos? Are there any exceptions?
I must say I hate the name Dev'Vel, but then I never liked puns in serious fantasy.
Tell us more about the mad elementals, and elemental magic on the world.
What are the inverted peaks of Khrieg? I am dying to know.
Is any history or culture retained from before the Shearing?
What happened to The Creator of Asilikos?
What is the power scale of this world? This is a many-tiered question. How powerful is the most powerful mortal on Asilikos? How powerful could such a person be? What sort of CRs and HD are to be expected for the Gods and Cosmics?
Not that I disapprove, but why Wrath above the other sins as the surviving Nether power?
Are the hosts themselves confined to the Astral or does this just apply to the Captains?
I'll stop there for now.
Quote from: JaercJust for clarification: did The Shearing completely cut off Asilikos from the rest of the Cosmos? Are there any exceptions?
I must say I hate the name Dev'Vel, but then I never liked puns in serious fantasy.
Tell us more about the mad elementals, and elemental magic on the world.
What are the inverted peaks of Khrieg? I am dying to know.
Is any history or culture retained from before the Shearing?
What happened to The Creator of Asilikos?
What is the power scale of this world? This is a many-tiered question. How powerful is the most powerful mortal on Asilikos? How powerful could such a person be? What sort of CRs and HD are to be expected for the Gods and Cosmics?
Not that I disapprove, but why Wrath above the other sins as the surviving Nether power?
Are the hosts themselves confined to the Astral or does this just apply to the Captains?
I'll stop there for now.
Well, I probably shouln't answer someone who doesn't know which thread to post in, but...
:D Just kidding, Jaerc.
As I indicate above, I may leave Annwn partially or completely open. But pretty much all transplanar junctions beyond the 'Near' Ethereal, Astral, and Shadow are closed. Detailing this will follow the Keepers a bit, since they're part of this scheme.
Dev'Vel: Eh. I'll think on it more, but I rather like it.
Mad Elements: Oh, that's a surprise. Not a cop out, but it's still a bit in development.
Khrieg: The SHearing's tumult changed and warped the landscape. This is connected to the mad elementals, in that unlike a wild magic zone it could be called 'wild land' (no cutesy, hip name coined for it yet). The Khrieg lance through a large portion of Channan, the largest continent, and are exactly as i state: inverted mountains. A series of high, suspended tablelands thousands of feet above sea level, held in place by this warped dynamic of elementalism.
History: Well-preserved in general; the gods walk among mortals, and those that don't hold themselves aloof (such as, say, Tam Ammar), have had no general qualms about filling in history's blanks. But there are still many mysteries (see below) that the gods, Keepers, and cosmics don't know; secrets such as the true nature of The Shearing.
Culture: Varies. Some of the more insulated and undamaged realms (Ohir Kha, the dwarven realm/Endriss and some parts of Reanhe, both generally human realms/a few others) maintain at least some superficial remnants of former glory and culture. But even these are strongly and undeniably fading away. No real details yet.
The Creator: This also qualifies as such a historical secret, but it is known that he (nameless at the moment) vanished after the March of Dawn, the earliest age when the Firstborn were created, and left behind the power that caused other gods to ascend later. Other than being believed as a force behind both the Creed and the Stormborn on some level, there is no other hint of his fate.
Power Level: General highest-level NPCs range in the low 30's at highest (no more than perhaps a dozen), but because of the survival orientation there is a higher demographic of PC levels across the board (I suppose it could be said that 10-15th level might be called fairly normal in Asilikos). I haven't decided on god and cosmic power levels; there will be some definite differences between the base incarnations (such as the LotN as presented in GoH) and their 'echoes' here.
Nethers: With the revamping of the other beings in the Remnant, there will likely be a major change to all cosmics that are similarly non-original, including renaming and reordering. Wrath had been chosen in regards to the question of which Nethers would be the worst possible to strand on the Prime (similar with both demons and devils).
The Hosts: All are stranded. There is limited ability to enter and affect Asilikos, but they must return quickly. The angels are in a unique position of being forced into a 'guerilla' style role.
Quote from: Knight of RavensDev'Vel: Eh. I'll think on it more, but I rather like it.
on the way!"
High-Level Warrior: "[Humanoids]? No sweat. My friends and I can take a few [humanoids]."
Very true. It was originally a bookmark name so I could remember my intention. It's going to be changed now to something else.
Okay, updates finally coming, as I have a ton of free time on my hands (and I don't want Asilikos falling too far from the front page :-p ).
Hrm, this year in Egypt left me with less time than I had hoped for to devote to Asilikos. Will mend this oversight in about two or three weeks.
Updated the initial post in the campaign thread. More to follow.
I'm super excited for more Asilikos!
I read the intro to Asilikos and was struck by some of the similarities between the premise and my much vaguer, less well defined backstory for the Cadaverous Earth. This of course can be attributed to some basic archetypal themes coming in to play, although your execution of those themes is far more detailed and fully developed than mine. I really enjoyed the opening - it was really very well written - and am working my way through the extensive list of gods.
Reading down to the Remnant, I was a little thrown by the inclusion of the Greyhawk/Forgotten Realms/DnD deities showing up after the much more original pantheon described above. I assume these deities are going to be changed a lot anyway in light of the war/disaster, but (along with some references to standard DnD planes and demon princes) the setting does appear to be set within the usual DnD cosmology, albeit with some heavy modifications. I've never been hugely enamored with the DnD system of planes - I like Sigil and some other random stuff, but there seem to be a lot of flaws in that cosmology (infinite planes always seemed to problematize the Blood War a lot to me). You seem to be abandoning a lot of the cosmology but keeping other elements. I suppose my question is, "how closely does the cosmology surrounding Asilikos resemble the standard planar array"? Is it going to be essentially a more post-apocalyptic planescape sort of thing focused on a single material plane but drawing from others, or are you going to modify the cosmology very radically and totally reorder it? If the latter, I'm wondering if the references to the standard cosmology are particularly worth the effort, or whether it would be better to ditch them altogether.
As far as the gods are concerned, I'm dropping pretty much all but superficial resemblances to core deities. For instance, the Lolth-analogue will retain a history of being evil and demon-allied before her shift of viewpoint, though I have divorced the drow (d'ruh) from elven origins and Amael is not Lolth in any other fashion (I retain also the spider-link, though it is now more crustacean-like because of the aquatic idiom).
For the cosmology, it is largely the Great Wheel; that, however, is modified heavily by the material at Dicefreaks, which I like much better. The cosmology is also somewhat peripheral at this time, because the Shearing has rendered it closed off. For the most part, the only important planes are the transitives: Astral, Ethereal, Shadow, and Annwyn (once I get that last one straightened out a bit). I purposely dropped the Elemental Planes, not because they're unusable but because I wanted elemental powers to remain potent (due to the madness caused by the Shearing) in spite of a cut off from the planes. The Outer Planes can be said to be manifesting locally among the fiendish bastions to a degree.
*nudges in an attempt to accelerate disaster.*