The Campaign Builder's Guild

A Brief Description

The gods have long left mankind to its own device, but not before spawning the Wardens - they who were meant to maintain the delicate balance of this world. The times when the true gods walked the earth are long forgotten, but man's need to make sense of its sufferings or its happy moments never ceased to be and caused him to refocus its faith into a new recipient. The Wardens, made immortal, were conveniently there to appease the frustrations or to explain the beauties of this world when man needed it most. So, with time, men started to revere them, and they became, at least for humans, gods in their own right. But the Wardens are not necessarily wise or benevolent, and are not devoid of humanly faults themselves. For a while they were the proud guardians of their divine masters' creation, but at some point some among them must have felt impertinent, and impatient, disillusioned even, of their masters' prophesied return, and have elected to see to their interest first, and those of their long-gone masters after. Or never.

At first, man appeared in Caata and worshiped the many gods in that most holy city. They've evolved and spread in all directions, however, and now some have gone so far, crossing seemingly endless and desolate horizons, to follow whichever Warden they or their family has appropriated for themselves. In Caata, things were simple and peaceful, but now it seems as though men forgot they were once one people; centuries of machinations and isolation on the Wardens part have corrupted the simplicity and tolerance of man.

Alot of things have happened in the last millenias. Caata, for one, has fallen and risen countless times due to fanaticism and then vengeance. Wardens have fought alongside their faithful followers against their immortal brethren for dominion of the world to both devastating and reinvigorating effect. Wonders and horrors have sprung up - an homage to the ingenious and creative mind of mankind. Great leaders united their kinsmen and conquered large territories, ushering in eras of peace for their people. Or perhaps they oppressed their kin, and forced them to inflict the same brutalities they were subjected to daily on other peoples. The stories mostly depend on who you ask.

But of the recent past we can more accurately describe the important events which have taken place. We shall not tarry on them at this moment, however, and instead proceed to what is actually happening now.

What is this?

Welcome to my world - which I have yet to name. Ancient civilizations seem to have been so much more in touch with things spiritual, especially divine entities. So much so that one can wonder, did god, or gods, once walk the earth? I shall leave to the experts, archeologists and historians, the privilege of discovering the truth on this matter, but in the meantime I wish to exploit the subject in some creative way. This is why I came up with this. The Wardens are akin, in principle, to the Greek gods; they walk the earth and interact directly with mankind. This, even in ancient times, was a much controversial and disputed subject in the Greek world, but I will not delay myself with too much philosophical pondering and just pretend they did walk the earth and had their residence on Olympia, or wherever else the dark and chaotic gods resided.

Not everything is black and white. In fact, it's pretty much all grey. A good intentioned person might in fact do cruel things to achieve his goals. Someone who is naturally inclined to bully and despise his peers might become sociable in order to obtain their support in whatever deed. Man is perfect in its imperfectness and often contradictory. He continually adapts to his environment, which is why he can survive and evolve.

In this world, you will see things that are supernatural, but I have some distaste for things too heavy on magic and such, so it will appear a very down to earth world with very little, aside from the Wardens, to cause disorientation.

Ah... inspiration!

The following is a list of things, in no way static, from which I will inspire myself to write new content.

• My previous custom settings
• Ancient civilizations (Mesopotamian, Mesoamerican, South Asian, Chinese, Central Asian, Celtic, Greek, South-European, Sub-Saharian African, Phoenician)
• Vikings
• Walking gods
• Religions (Monotheism, Polytheism)
• Divide within a given religion
• Miracles
• War
• Diplomacy
• Diseases
• Catastrophes[/size]

Note: For anyone with ideas for a Map name (World's common name, like Earth), you are invited to post your suggestions. For whatever else that concerns this setting, too.

So, what do you see as the place of player characters/protagonists in this world -- are they wardens or humans associated with them? Do the wardens breed with humans to spawn demigod characters? Obviously religion will be hugely affected by there being deities in direct interaction with people, so how does that play out in the setting -- is there any point to priests if people can just go straight to the nearest warden with their pleas?

Oh, I like it. I like the touches of the ancient. A truly ancient setting, with bronze and iron that seems magical, with vast armies clashing across the unsettled plains, maybe with titanic beasts of epic proportion creating wonder and destruction.

I think you'd still have a priestly caste. They might even have the uncertainties of real world priests. Like you said, some Wardens are more active than others. All have some sort of goal, and I doubt many would refuse the worship of humans if it meant you could nudge or force the humans to complete your goals.

Why did the gods leave? Who are the heroes? What types of stories would you want to tell in this world?

Awesome, sounds cool. I'd definitely read a story set in such a world. It feels familiar and unique at the same time.