The Campaign Builder's Guild

Please direct all discussion to this thread
Text in red is under heavy review
[text in brackets is an alternate to the rest of the red text]
[ooc]Text in the OOC tags is not much more than a thoughtâ,¬Â¦[/ooc]

Overview

Long ago, the world was bombarded by a string of meteor showers that left the surface of the world completely uninhabitable. The surface of the world is barren, lifeless, and completely airless: it is a total void; uninhabitable by the life that was native to the surface prior to the day the sky fell. With the meteors came alien life forms, which began to repopulate the void and reform it in their own image.

However, the natives of the World were not defeated. The fled below, into the caverns that extended beneath the surface. Unlike most worldsâ,¬,,¢ underdarks, the underdark of this world is divided into a few distinct layers. The first layer is much like your typical underdark, a twisting maze of tunnels with caverns that rarely exceed the size of a large city. The second layer is actually one massive cavern, separated by columns of rock the size of mountain ranges. Called the lowerlands, it is native to as many species of fungus as the surface once held plants. Bioluminescent fungus provides light for the lowerlands, and most of the races of the surface fled here. Below that is the deeperdark, which is much like the underdark but exists below the Lowerlands. The final layer is the flames, a series of tunnels and caverns that flow with the molten lava of the core itself.

Here, the people of the world make their home. Working newfound magics and forsaking old, they forged a new existence in the World Below. Some seek to reclaim the surface world. Others seek to discover what caused the day when the sky fell. Still others seek personal power, and the majority, as always, seek to get along as best they can.

Welcome to Datrik
 
Religion

Factions

Realms and Nations

Races

[spoiler]
[note=Elves]Elves exist in Datrik, but they live on the first moon of the world, the emerald moon of Slyvathinos. Slyvathinos will be a setting in and of itself, and Elvin interaction with Datrik is minimal, as of now.[/note]

[spoiler=Rathians][ic]Our race is a failure. Our sacred duty was compromised, and now the darkness we guarded the world against is in the hands of the evil ones. We are a failure. And with that knowledge comes our liberty: for with our fate no longer bound to the ruins above, we can make our own destiny, and find a success in the ashes of ruin.
-Hitha Silvereye, Remaker spiritual leader and Rathian Totemspeaker[/ic]

The rathians are an old tribal people who were native to the surface along with humanity and the shimmerfolk. On the surface, the rathians were masters of incarnum, who wielded that power as part of their own body. They worked with the elves to safeguard ancient ruins that no When the sky fell and the world was drained, the Rathians fled underground, leaving their charges unguarded. Now they live in the mushroom forests of the World Below, divided into two factions. One, the Reclaimers, seek to develop new ways to use incarnum that would allow them to reclaim the surface and protect the ruins from those who came with the Void. The others, the Remakers, believe that Rathians are now a free people who must find their own destiny. Remaker totemists, working with Athentui psions, were able to develop the first primitive methods of binding incarnum to inanimate objects, and many of the wonders enjoyed today that utilize incarnum are their work.

The Rathians stand between 4â,¬,,¢9â,¬Â and 5â,¬,,¢4â,¬Â, with the females slightly taller than the males. They have slender builds, and their skin seems somewhat insubstantial in bright light. Their eyes are pure black, the better to take in the limited ambient light of the Lowerlands. The most startling part of their appearance is their wings â,¬' long and wispy, they seem to be made of little more than glowing smoke. The shape varies from Rathian to Rathian, but it always gives off a pale blue glow.

Rathian
-+2 Dex, -2 Str Rathians are hardy, but their slender limbs lack the power of larger creatures.
-Medium: As medium creatures, Rathians suffer no penalties or bonuses for their size.
-Speed 30 ft.
-Low Light Vision: A Rathian has low light vision, allowing them to see twice as far as a human in low lighting conditions.
-Essentia Flight: A Rathian posses wings that appear to be made of shimmering energy. Although they are insubstantial, the Rathianâ,¬,,¢s wings confer the following benefits:
-+2 bonus to jump, balance, and swim checks. This bonus increase by +2 for every point of essential invested in this ability. A Rathianâ,¬,,¢s wings provide for stability and better locomotion, in and out of water.
-Shed light: a Rathianâ,¬,,¢s wings shed light, providing full illumination out to ten feet and shadowy illumination out to 20. A Rathian with essentia invested in its wings gains the ability to perform two actions in regard to its shed light. First, it can increase the light, extending the full illumination out to 20 feet and shadowy illumination out to 40. Second, it can douse the light completely, hiding its wings. A Rathian who does not douse its wingâ,¬,,¢s light suffers a â,¬'10 penalty to hide checks.
-A Rathian who is third level and/or has opened its arms chakra treats a fall as ten feet shorter for each point of essentia it invests in its wings. This stacks with the monkâ,¬,,¢s slow fall ability.
-Limited Flight: Once a Rathian reaches level 7 and/or opens its shoulders chakra, it gains limited flight ability. It can fly ten feet with perfect maneuverability plus ten feet for every point of essentia invested in this ability, with the stipulation that it must end its flight on a solid surface. A Rathian with the Airstep Sandals soulmeld shaped gains a +5 bonus to its Limited Flight per point of essentia invested in the soulmeld rather than the soulmeldâ,¬,,¢s normal benefit.
-Essentia Pool: A Rathian starts play with one bonus point of essentia.
-Weapon Familiarity: Rathians treat bolas and blowguns as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
-Languages: Rathian, Common. Bonus Languages: Elvish, Gnome, Orc, Sylvan.
-Favored Class: Totemist.
-LA: +0


Feats:

Rathian Sight [Rathian, Incarnum]
Prerequisites: Rathian, Essentia Pool 1, Low Light Vision
Benefit: A Rathian can invest Essentia in its low light vision to increase the range of it by each point of essentia invested. (So a Rathian with 1 point of essentia invested in this ability has the range of its vision tripled compared to a humans, while one with 3 points has its vision in low lighting conditions multiplied by a factor of five.)

Rathian Trueflight [Rathian, Incarnum]
Prerequisites: Rathian, Essentia Pool 1, Shoulder Chakra Unlocked
Benefit: Your essentia flight ability allows you to fly without having to land between jaunts.
Normal: You must end each turn on a solid surface or fall.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Glimmerfolk][ic]Sing for the sun, still in the sky.
Sing for the wind that will never die.
Sing for the people who live and grow.
Sing for the life we found below.
-One of the 347 verse of the glimmerfolk Joy, an epic song of hope.[/ic]

The glimmerfolk are a people in constant celebration. Renowned for their great works of portable art and their epic songs, the glimmerfolk travel from city to city in the lowerlands, spreading their way and their message of hope. They are creatures of passion and beauty, and liaisons between glimmerfolk and members of other races are common. Most human cities welcome glimmerfolk for the breath of fresh air they bring, and have laws protecting glimmerfolk in their territories.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Tuorth][ic]My honor is my pack, my blood is my den, my heart is my kin, my soul is my blade.
- Recitation of Tuorth warriors before battle, a ritualized version of the 3rd principal of gruâ,¬,,¢dagâ,¬,,¢poth[/ic]

The Tuorth are a lupine warrior race native to the Lowerlands. They spend the darktimes, the nights of the lowerlands, out hunting in the darkness. By day, they congregate in cities called dens, where they keep the young and the weak. Tuorth life is centered around the principals of gruâ,¬,,¢dagâ,¬,,¢poth, the Laws of the Pack. Highly ritualized and bound in honor, Tuorth often seem inscrutable to outsiders. However, non can deny their martial prowess, and a member of another race who is adopted by a Tuorth has the most stalwart ally that could be hoped for. Some noble houses perform great services to have a pack of Tuorth adopt that house as Pack, which gives them deadly and powerful bodyguards and soldiers to bolster their ranks.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Makos]Coming soon![/spoiler][/spoiler]

Magic and Psionics

[spoiler][spoiler= Incarnum] [note]An Incarnate or Soulborn can be of any alignment. Upon taking their first level, an Incarnate picks one of the following aspects: Void, Core, Sun, or Storm. Incarnates that choose void shape soulmelds as an evil incarnate, those that chose Core shape soulmelds as a Lawful incarnate, those that choose Sun as a Good incarnate, and those that choose Storm shape soulmelds as a chaotic incarnate. At tenth level, a Incarnate can choose a second aspect, and can from then on shape soulmelds that are restricted to that aspect. A good Incarnate could choose Void, a lawful one Storm.[/note]

Incarnum is the power of embodiment. An incarnate embodies something, all of it colored through their belief in the Four Aspects. Each aspects is a fundamental principal of the world, much like each soulmeld they shape embodies a deeper truth of reality. An incarnate that shapes Airstep sandals is taking on the reality of acrobatics, embodied in the greatest of acrobats and transferred into him. Incarnates are just what their name implies:  one who is principals of the universe incarnate.

Prior to Voidfall, Incarnum existed but was mostly a secret art, taught in hidden monestaries along with the principal of incarnum, that everything has a deeper truth to it, and that true power is drawn through making that truth incarnate. When the Voidfall happened, incarnates noticed the horrible powers used by the alien Ynothlosh, and came out of their seclusion to battle them.

In the world today, incarnates take a varying degree of activity. In the cavern Tiliqu, the principal of incarnum is taught to the people and forms a sort of pseudo theocracy. Meanwhile, in other caverns incarnum is virtually unheard of.
 

Quote from:  Invocations[ooc]Warlocks were created during the war as shock troopers in the hopes of combating psionics. While not the best at this role, they proved instrumental in helping the humanoid races survive Voidfall. Now, Warlocks breed trueâ,¬Â¦[/ooc][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Psionics]Coming soon![/spoiler]

[spoiler=Pact magic]Coming soon![/spoiler][/spoiler]

The Aberrations
 
[spoiler=Ynothlosh][note=why invade?]A question often asked by never answered is why the Ynothlosh invaded in the first place. One theory is simple opportunism: they noticed the catastrophe so they took advantage of the situation. Other says the Ynothlosh need humanoids for something, but what is uncertain. One theory speculates they have always been here, and finally made their move with the Voidfall[/note]Ynothlosh are Those From Beyond. Travelers from a distant realm of the Void, they came on the heels of the Voidfall, arriving on Datrik as void decended upon it. Some blame the Ynothlosh for the fall itself: others pray that it was beyond their power. Regardless, the Ynothlosh are now the dominant power on the world above.

Ynothlosh were able to win the war for three main reasons, discounting their natural ability to survive in the void. One is their technology, which goes far beyond the abilities of even the advanced technology displayed by Lowerland civilizations. Another is psionics, which were alien to the people of Datrik and cut through their magics. The final reason is their fleshshaping, which allows them to manipulate life itself to serve their twisted ends.

[note=Whatâ,¬,,¢s In A Name?]Most people speaking common refer to the Ynothlosh as Those Above: Ynothlosh is used by those who follow them, scholars, and the Ynothlosh themselves[/note]As far as appearance, Ynothlosh are terrible to behold. Standing an average of seven feet tall, Ynothlosh rest on double jointed legs that are reminiscent of an insect. Their torso is slender and plated in an exoskeleton, though studies have shown Ynothlosh also posses an endoskeleton. Their upper arms are long and gangly, featuring three distinct elbows, while their lower arms are atrophied to the point of near uselessness. Their head appears as a humanoid head, but is plated in chitin and featureless save for two multifaceted eyes and four antennae. To round off the horrific appearance, two short tentacles sprout from below its â,¬Ëchinâ,¬,,¢, each one ending in a wicked bony blade.[/spoiler]

The Planes

[spoiler=The Mirrored Paths]

The Mirrored Paths are used to share information, images, and ideas, all bound within a plane of shadows and reflections. It is possible to physically enter and travel The Mirrored Paths, though they are treacherous paths and perilous realms, full of strange creatures, deadly foes, and insidious secrets.

[spoiler= Paths, Terms Of]Usage of The Mirrored Paths has led to numerous new terms and what almost amounts to a new language to describe what is done. Here are some of the technical terms of the Paths.

Treader: Someone who physically enters The Mirrored Paths to manipulate it. By extension, tread is a verb that means to physically walk The Mirrored Paths

Scryer: Someone who uses The Mirrored Paths to obtain information, relocate information, and communicate. Scryers do not enter The Mirrored Paths physically: if they do, they become treaders. By extension, scry is the verb that means to manipulate The Mirrored Paths from behind a looking mirror.

Looking mirror: A mirror used to manipulate information on The Mirrored Paths. When using a looking mirror, the scryer sees the planar essence of The Mirrored Paths converted into written words or images, as appropriate. The creator of the information chooses how it appears.

Path: two meanings. 1) For a treader, it is a literal walkway that takes you to your destination. No matter where you are physically on The Mirrored Paths, speaking the proper chant will set you on the proper path. 2) A chant used by a scryer to find information.

Cluster: 1) for a treader, a physical place on The Mirrored Paths, usually represented by a series of connected disks with subjective directional gravity. The disks are made of information stored by scryers and treaders alike. Clusters are linked to mirrors, which allow a treader who spoke the proper chant to exit through that mirror, if it is large enough and there is physical space on the other side to exit. Some clusters attach to Reflection. 2) A place where a scryer stores information.[/spoiler]


[spoiler=The Paths]Physically entering The Mirrored Paths is possible with the proper spell and a mirror large enough to accommodate your form, while scrying the paths (looking though a Looking Mirror for information, using one to store information, communicating with someone else with a Looking Mirror.) requires merely a specially treated mirror, called a Looking Mirror, large enough to see into, and the proper phrase to activate it. After that, speaking command words in the proper orders (called chants) are used to explore it. Looking mirrors usually requires only the proper phrase to activate it, and common or public mirrors use the phrase shodofar, which is â,¬Å"reveal to me,â,¬Â while personal mirrors usually use private phrases to activate. [note=Inside the Paths]The Paths are quite frightening to visit, even for an experienced treader. They display subjective directional gravity, and appear as countless clusters floating in inky blackness, connected by long silver paths that seem to flow, despite being solid to the touch. Each cluster consists of two to ten disks. One of the disks has a mirror connected to it, appearing as a silver rectangle floating in the air. This mirror does not cast reflections. The other clusters appearance varies depending on the scryer or treader who owns that mirror: they can shape them to appear as anything they want.[/note]

There is some danger in chanting into a mirror, and having skill in exploring The Mirrored Paths lessens this danger. Certain golemtech allows safer usage of Looking Mirrors, though the risks associated with golemtech still exist. Nothing completely eliminates the risk of using a Looking Mirror, however. The dangers range from minor scares to persistent nightmares to, in rare instances, complete insanity. One might also touch the Reflection by accident, a deadly world that mirrors the Material much in the way a funhouse mirror shows your appearance: it is twisted and warped.[/spoiler]

[spoiler= History][ic=Gorctho.]The Paths were discovered two hundreds years before their widespread usage by the elven scholar and planar explorer Arewash Reshiquethae. Arewash stumbled upon the paths when experimenting with using a alchemical concoction which would allow mirrors to be used to view other planes by common citizens. When she attempted to view though the mirror, however, she was given what may be the first view of any mortal into the Paths. (see 1) Arewashâ,¬,,¢s colleague, Vaethara Shaldael, did continued research into Looking Mirrors. Arewash was unable to further her own research because the result of her first attempt to chant drove her inexplicably mad. Meanwhile, Vaethara continued to research chants and delve into the mysteries of the Paths, and lived well into her five hundredth year before vanishing for parts unknown. (see 2)
Excerpt from â,¬Å"A History of the Voidfall and the Aftermathâ,¬Â[/ic]
------------------
[ic= Gorctho]Fear of what happened to Arewash prevented widespread channeling for over a century. That changed with the Voidfall. The peoples of the human kingdom of Hallith found themselves unable to retreat through the underdark after an earthquake sealed off most of the entrances, and they were forced to march over three hundred miles to find an escape rout. It would have been impossible to organize and maintain such a march without the air of mirrors, which were brought to the humans by a psion, Rilan Docâ,¬,,¢Thotar. (see 3). The successful and safe usage of Looking Mirrors to organize this march led to the people of New Hallith to begin using mirrors on a wide scale, and despite some initial setbacks, the use of mirrors has spread throughout the Lowerlands.
Excerpt from â,¬Å"A History of the Voidfall and the Aftermathâ,¬Â [/ic]

 [spoiler=1: expanded History:][ic= Jibith Vonithar, prophet.]There are whispers among treaders about hidden parts of The Mirrored Paths, realms that they dare not tread for fear of their minds and lives. These realms are never stumbled upon through a scrying: the surface only goes blank. Only those who walk the paths stumble upon these realms. Those who have gone there before and managed to leave know them as Deadlands, and speak of cyclopean ruins and geometry that doesnâ,¬,,¢t work properly. These ruins are built, if my readings are correct, by Those Who Came Before, and hold the secrets of their civilizationâ,¬Â¦[/ic]

Though the theories of Jibith are usually discredited as the ravings of a madman, there is some truth to them. Treaders do speak of cyclopean ruins, though no credible source has ever found or documented any. There is much debate on the nature of the The Mirrored Paths. Some speculate Arewash accidentally created them with her experiments, while others contend they were once a third Material Plane, along with Datrik and the Reflection, and that a race that predates even dragons met their downfall there.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler=2: The Fate of Vaethara]Much confusion surrounds the disappearance of Vaethara. Her last verifiable whereabouts were her laboratory, where she was developing a way to view The Mirrored Paths without a mirror. After that, she simply vanished. Around the same time, the echo Arathaev was discovered. Although Arathaevâ,¬,,¢s name is almost Vaetharaâ,¬,,¢s name spelled backwards, and Arathaev does indeed grant powers related to Looking Mirrors, but the lack of perfect misspelling of the name as well as conclusive evidence means the actual identity of Arathaev or the fate of Vaethara is unknown.[/spoiler]

 [spoiler=3: Rilan Docâ,¬,,¢Thotar][ic=Bar Patron]â,¬Å"Rilan Docâ,¬,,¢Thotar? Eh, yeah, I â,¬Ëeard oâ,¬,,¢ â,¬Ëim. â,¬Ëes in league with Those Above, or â,¬,,¢m on the surface. Oh, sure â,¬Ëe did all sorts of goodly stuff for us â,¬Ëallithians, getting us off the surface and whatnot. But you never see â,¬Ëim. Never talk to â,¬Ëim. No one knows what â,¬Ëe is. Plus, â,¬Ëeâ,¬,,¢s a psion. You ever â,¬Ëeard of onna their number who ainâ,¬,,¢t working with Them? Look me in the eye and say you â,¬Ëave. Thatâ,¬,,¢s right, didnâ,¬,,¢t think so.[/ic]

Rilan Docâ,¬,,¢Thotar is one of the most enigmatic figures in Datrikâ,¬,,¢s history. He appears numerous places, and his actions never seem to make sense. What is known about Rilan is this: First, he is a psion, and a powerful one at that. Second, it is impossible to be sure who he is helping, for his actions have aided both those above and the survivors. Third, he can scry and tread without mirrors, the only known being to do so. Other than that, nothing can be certain about him, not even his appearance, which has been described in numerous different ways by different peoples.[/spoiler][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Creatures and Hazards]The Mirrored Paths are home to many creatures and other hazards, many of them horrible and dangerous. Here is a taste of what awaits both treader and scryer.
 
[ooc]This list is by no means complete. Suggestions for unique threats to both scryers and treaders is welcome and appreciated.[/ooc]

Threats to scryers:

[spoiler=Threats to Scryers][spoiler=Gibbering]Occasionally, a misspoken chant will cause random letters and symbols to appear on the scyers mirror. Called gibbering, a scryer who reads it will find his mind assaulted on a fundamental level, causing massive damage to his sanity and ability to reason. Some particularly dangerous strains of gibbering will transform the scryers mind, turning them into a dangerous killer. Whether it is read or not, gibbering will fade from the mirror in a few minutes.[/spoiler]

More to come![/spoiler]

[spoiler=Threats to Treaders][spoiler=Sentinel]one of the deadliest creatures of the Paths, sentinels have hulking, headless humanoid forms with three eyes located above two uneven mouths in their chests. They patrol the paths for some unknown purpose, and attack some treaders while leaving others alone. They are very common near Deadlands, but they can be found anywhere. They attack by spewing a mind weakening ray from their smaller mouth, while using their claws to rend and tear. A particularly deadly variant drains life force with its mouth ray.[/spoiler]

 [spoiler= Jauntrats]The most irritating, though least dangerous, of the path creatures, jauntrats are small, lopsided insectile creatures, with three legs on one side and two legs on the other, the side with two legs also hosting a large claw. Their bite, which hardly hurts, can randomly transport whoever was bitten to a unknown cluster. While someone who knows chant can find their way back to where they was, or at least home, those who cannot chant can find themselves lost, unless whoever was leading them through the paths can find them. Some treaders keep captured jauntrants, releasing them as a distraction when attacked.[/spoiler][/spoiler][/spoiler][/spoiler]

Fauna and Flora

[spoiler=Fungus]The food chain is based off of fungus. Several species of natural fungus are edible, though there were many tragic trial and error attempts figuring out which is which. Since there are many different types of magical fungus, much of this trial and error was very deadly on an even larger scale than just individual death. Some species of edible mushroom grow much more rapidly than wheat, making them easier to cultivate and able to support a large population, but mushrooms do not make good bread, and finding new ways to prepare it are difficult. Fortunatly, numerous of the fungus provides excellent flavor, meaning that while a lot of food looks the same, much of it tastes different, at least in larger communities. In smaller communities, diets tend to be meat heavy to counteract mushrooms.

Brightmoss comes in two varieties, sunmoss and glowmoss. The source of most of the lowerlands light, sunmoss is a naturally bioluminescent fungus that sheds a light blue light and grows only on the ceiling of the lowerlands. Sunmoss goes through a cycle, gradually growing brighter for ten hours and then growing dimmer for twelve, giving Datrik a somewhat lopsided day/night cycle. Most creatures have adapted their day/night cycles to the brightmoss cycle. At its brightest, the light is similar to that of an overcast day, and at its darkest, the light it releases is slightly brighter than a night lit by the full moon.

Glowmoss grows more sporadically, usually in patches on the â,¬Ëfloorâ,¬,,¢ of the lowerlands. Unlike sunmoss, glowmoss gives off a steady light that is equivalent to the light of a torch. Many cities keep rocks covered in glowmoss hanging from buildings as a light source during night, and travelers keep glowmoss encrusted rocks as a safer, longer lasting alternative to torches.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Domesticated Animals] Most creatures of the lowerlands are reptillian or insectiod, meaning that domesticated animals such as cows are rare. One of the primary sources of protein are the eggs of Ckar beetles: the beetles are roughly the size of rats, and their eggs are about half the size of a human eyeball. A single Ckar beetle will lay 10,000 eggs in a year, meaning a Ckar single Ckar farm can produce enough eggs to feed a city. Ckar eggs are excellent eating and highly nutritious. The downside is, if a male Ckar fertilizes the eggs, they become a deadly toxin, which in mild doses is also an outlawed hallucinogen. As such, Ckar farms are heavily regulated by the various governments, and in lawless areas they make excellent targets.[/spoiler]

Geography

[spoiler=Geography Terms and Overview]
[note=terms]I feel like I need new terms, that the ones I have donâ,¬,,¢t feel right. They lack a sufficient air of mystery to me. Help would be greatly appreciated.[/note]The Geography of the lowerlands has a very unique layout, consisting of a single massive cavern that spans under the entire surface, and there are a few specialized terms to better define this layout:

Walls: Walls much what their name implies, massive vertical rock configurations that span from floor to ceiling. Walls can be anywhere from a few miles thick to a few dozen miles thick, though most average about ten miles in thickness. The walls connect, though they also have large gaps between them, called doors. Walls are porous, and traveling through one is about as difficult as traveling through any other underground passage.

Doors: A gap between two walls that is less than ten miles wide.

Rooms: The empty space between walls. In size and function, rooms are similar to continents, though the largest is about 900 miles long and 700 wide.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Water]
The lowerlands has extensive amounts of water, sometimes filling entire rooms to form seas. To surface dwellers, the waterways of the lowerlands were the most familiar thing, since they behaved much as they did on the surface, except for the Stagnant Sea.

Water comes in three varieties: Freshwater and saltwater are much like on the surface, while bloodwater is water with a high iron concentration that tastes much like blood. Bloodwater is not healthy to drink in high amounts.[/spoiler]