• Welcome to The Campaign Builder's Guild.
 

Feyraal Discussion Thread

Started by Brian, October 17, 2006, 07:37:42 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Raelifin

Quote from: Brian[spoiler=A Brief History of Before History]The real history of Feyraal is ancient indeed and much of it has been lost, having been told orally for hundreds of generations.  
the world of Feyraal was once like any other world.  it was home to many races and peoples and they were all very advanced in magic and technology (think Eberron + 200 years).  but as powerful as they were, they were still fallible and foolish.  the great empires of the time, the Empire of the Seldarine and the Empire of the Dorvesh (dwarves) started a great war that spread to the far corners of the world.  it was a great world war of epic proportions.  all the races allied themselves with one nation or another and battles raged for years and years.  the Dorvesh, in an attempt to defeat the far superior arcane might of the Seldarine created a mighty and powerful living weapon, a titanic golem imbued with the essenses of demons and devils, elementals and even gods.  but this creation was far more powerful then its creators and it ravaged the world.  the Dorvesh designed the "Baalgorgon" (or god-weapon in the dwarven tongue) to devour and absorb magical energy.  it did this all too well, and in fact its hunger for magic was unquenchable.  in a matter of weeks it had destroyed the Empire of Dorvesh, and the last of the dwarves fled to the other kingdoms.  some even pleaded with the Seldarine, warning them of the unstoppable monstrousity that would soon desend upon their kingdom.  the vain, arrogant and stubborn Seldarine brushed them aside and continued their war unaware that they had already won by default...for when the royal guard spilled the blood of the Dorvesh diplomats on the floor of the royal hall, they did not know that it was the last.  the Cthuul rampaged across the land, devouring all magic.  many of the magic races sickened and died or were eaten outright.  as it ate Baalgorgon grew larger and larger.  finally the Seldarine realized their folly, but only too late.  the last of the kingdoms rallied together and the war ended, but already a new war had begun and Baalgorgon was starting to create more of itself...giving birth to others like it.  the last of the great empires created giant golems to battle Baalgorgon, each one made in its likeness and the last of the Seldarine wizards researched a way to destroy the devourer forever.  but such a way was long in coming, and in a last desperate attempt the Seldarine and their allies bound Baalgorgon in the earth.  the magical backlash was too great, and the surviving peoples of Feyraal were obliterated in a massive blast that scorched and destroyed thousands of miles of earth.  all was quiet, and it remained so for countless hundreds of years.  in time the planet began to heal and recover, and new life began to grow in the shadow of the ancients.  in time, the world was repopulated, and the days of the great empires long forgotten.[/spoiler]

Brian

lol!  well i can't deny my old inspirations...i used to play WH40K and WHFRP waaaaay back in the day...like...15-18 years ago!  seems to have creeped up on me a bit i guess.  at least there aren't any goblin zepplins and guns in it.  :-P
Xulu is now pronounced "zooloo", as i definitely agree with avoiding phonetic confusion and such.  i haven't quite fleshed out the idea of the Shithriss yet, i envisioned a south american flavor and feel, but may reduce it down a bit...i'm not sure if i see them with a society capable enough of building large ziggaruts yet or not...jury's still out on that one...might just make them barbaric or savage to a degree not sure yet...but i envisioned reptilian warriors adorned with feathers and bone with stone or jade clubs and the like, but i could revert them to a more "islander-like" tone...perhaps polynesian or samoan?  the warriors adorn themselves with tattoos that symbolize their victories and accomplishments?  hmm...more food for thought on that one...
as for the eidolons, they act as massive batteries for the divine power.  i imagined that priests or clerics would pray or meditate at the base of these massive things and be granted the power to cast spells...how that would work out mechanics-wise i'm not sure - whether it would require an alteration to the class or a new class or whatever i'd have to figure out.  the idea is that the being near these large statues imbues the faithful with the energy of their god to shape and use as they will.  the greater idea is that the eidolons at one time were animated golems of incredible size and power, created to fight Baalgorgon the Devourer, afterwards the ones that remained fell silent and still where they stood.  in truth, it was the power of the eidolons that re-created the races again, shaping the life around them into their image.  was it a slow process akin to evolution in a sense?  or was it spontaneous?  furthermore, will the eidolons re-awaken if Baalgorgon returns; or if the number of the faithful increases will then the Gods themselves return?  all questions and ideas i'm still working on at the moment...
the empires of the Seldarine and the Dorvesh spanned the entire globe...the ruins of cities both large and small abound across Feyraal.  in the unlighted depths are treasures of a time of great power...magical and metal items abound as well as even more powerful arcane artifacts.  so there definitely are plenty of remnants from that ancient age still hidden in the unknown places of the world.  like i said, the time before history was at a magical and technological level slightly higher than the eberron setting, so players who delve into those dark places will find familiar items, but in a RP sense, will probably have NO clue how to use or activate them, and furthermore may be superstitiously terrified of such items.  in many cases an item as simple as a wand could spawn adventures leading to just its use alone...and the ramifications that that sort of power has on the world...