Lore and Background Information


NOTE: THIS CHAPTER IS NOT NECESSARY TO READ BUT IT IS RECOMMENDED. IT CAN PROVIDE BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THE CHARACTERS AND LOCATIONS, BUT IS OTHERWISE NOT NECESSARY TO THE STORY.

Author's Note

This opening chapter is a quick glimpse into the background of the campaign and also provides some of the character bios for the players of the actual game. This story is an actual campaign that I DMed and wrote out in prose. The entire campaign lasted about a year and has a beginning, middle, and end all in three acts. A sequel campaign is in the works now.

Everything is written out as it happened: All the rolls, all the player complaints, all the odd occurrences that happened in our interactions while playing at the table, and all the twists and turns of the story that I forced the players through. However, they are written in as lore as if everything really did happen within the world we created in our minds. Our campaign took us on many adventurers, from the funniest of moments to some moments that actually seemed serious in consequence.

Throughout each chapter you will find the story itself along with several links to pictures, music used during the game, and more bios for characters that jumped in and out of the story. These will be located at the bottom of every chapter and instructions on how to find them. Consider this story somewhat of an interactive experience while reading and I encourage everyone to use the other resources to their benefit to enhance the reading experience.

Below is a history of the world which I handed out to the players before our first session and also the bios that were handwritten by the players themselves as they first started to flesh out their characters.

This project has taken a long time to complete and even though it began as a little side thing for my friends and I to do just so we can say to people, "Yeah, I used to play D&D," it became much more. I am very proud of where it has gone and where it will continue to go and I'd like to thank all the players for sticking with me through the whole year. It is as much their story as it is mine. We are all the author.

I have much of the story already written out and am in the process of editing it. I will update the story on Mondays if I have made progress.

Now we invite you to get a feel of what it was like to sit at our table and see where our minds have taken us on our campaign.

~DM Link4000z


History of the World

Continent – Raleo, Aelar Island

No one knows when life first began in the world, but recorded time began over 4500 years ago. For over 2000 of those years two warring fractions fought over the land of Raleo. They were the Aneth and the Crathsis. Though a treaty was formed and relative peace returned, this treaty was eventually broken by the Anethia King and war resumed.

With the resurgence of war, many believed that dark times lay ahead for Raleo. Many lives were lost when Marinio Aneth broke the treaty with the Crathsis once again starting the 2000 year old war. However, as time grew it seemed that the Aneth were gaining an upper hand in the war. Marinio himself seemed to have powers granted to him by the Gods. It wasn't unlikely to see him in the midst of battle with his men, wielding otherworldly powers and crushing his opponents. So terrifying was he, some wondered if he hadn't made a pact with some of the malign gods of the world. Either way, the Crathsis put up a good fight, but their support was weak when faced with the awesome power of Marinio and his men.

Perhaps the greatest turning point was in 4056 when Marinio's son, Prince Maradan reached out to the smaller races of the kingdom and promised them more power if they were to join in the fight against the Crathsis. Thus, the Crathsis' focus on keeping power with the human race and suppressing the smaller ones was their downfall. Not accepting the help of the minor races proved to be their undoing as a united Aneth stormed Crathanen and took it over. The Crathanen King was captured and later executed. Thus the Era of Aneth began marking the new year 1 AN.

Relative peace has returned to Raleo, but not all was perfect. After Marinio's death, Maradan was crowned King. He did not fully keep his promises to the lower races. Humans and elves still seem dominant in the land and the Kingship is always passed down to the King's son – something that was supposed to be more diplomatic in process. The gods seem to have also gone quiet as prayers are left unanswered and miracles are not seen as often as before. Yet, the Kings of Aneth still do seem to hold some otherworldly power which is passed down to each King in the bloodline that even the top wizards and sorcerers of the land cannot explain.

However, advances were made. Expeditions to explore outside of Raleo were charted and enacted. This first began with an expansion to the north past the borderlands and into uncharted territory. Since the first expansion to today, not much progress has been made in large part to the very territorial, humanoid creatures living there. Progress to the West and into the Great Unknown were much more successful. A fleet of ships headed out with the best pyromancers who blasted the thick mists which covered the waters away with fire and fought off whatever large sea creatures were encountered. This was in the year 93 AN.

Hundreds of miles out, several islands were found which were inhabited by primitive shifters. The largest of which seemed to have several magical properties associated with it. This island had a smaller island floating two miles above it. This was named Aelar Island after the half-elf general leading the fleet. However, the shifters call it Yurg'aren – Yurg being the mystical beast God who supposedly lives on the floating island, aren being the native word for island.

The Aneth were quick to settle in the land and begin colonization, much to the dissatisfaction of some of the native tribes. Expeditions to try and reach the island above the main island have led to nothing but death. No team has made it back. Expeditions are also being planned to sail further west and discover what could lie beyond the sea.

The year is now 166 AN. Time passes and life continues to whatever adventures lay ahead…


Character Histories

Avonax (Blake) (Aa-von-x)

Race: Elf

Class: Ranger

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 135

Age: 69

Deity: Sehanine

Alignment: Good

Gender: Male

My name is Avonax, son of Thadin. I was birthed aside the Gold River in the lower swamp region. I am wood elf but people refer to me as "wild elf" because I have no true home. I have spent the last 25 years living off the land or as back home would call it – "Letting the wind guide my way." Which I believe is just some old elf bullshit.

However, I did not choose this destiny. It twas forced upon me. I am in search of the murderer of my mother and father. Despite the foolish old elf ways I must avenge their deaths. All I know is that the mutt whom which is responsible is shifter born. Which is why I'm on this god awful boat heading to this beast ridden place.

Thadin: One of the 9 royal guards to King Marinio Aneth.

Shifter: Scar across his left shoulder, running down his arm. (sword wound)


Fellwinn (Brandon) (Fell-win)

Race: Deva

Class: Invoker

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 154

Age: -

Deity: Ioun

Alignment: Unaligned

Gender: Female

Of the ancient race Deva, Fellwinn has lived many, many lifetimes. She has used much of her time in a hidden library studying the many ways of life and the world in general. Armed with her knowledge and the wrath of her god Ioun, she has decided to embark in this body onto a future of adventure to try to change things with the world.


Maars (Devin) (Ma-ars)

Race: Deva

Class: Shaman

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 152

Age: 207

Deity: Ioun

Alignment: Unaligned

Gender: Male

Maars has fairly recently been born into his new body. He is a follower of Ioun and commonly calls out his spirit companion, a female panther named Phobos, to help him out in battle. He is a loyal friend and companion.


Oahu (Jensen) (Oh-uh-hu)

Race: Shifter

Class: Fighter

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 158

Age: 28

Deity: None

Alignment: Unaligned

Gender: Male

I was born in a village south of the Drake Forest and northwest of the River Drake and Du'ran River meet. At the age 18, as it is common with most shifters, I took my right of passage journey into the wild. Months later I returned a man and decided I liked it better in the outside world than in my village.

So I left and journeyed north along the River Drake and into the Drake Forest. There I lived for many years until the age of 23. At that point I traveled West where I met the shifter warden Sevar. That was five years ago and we still travel together to this day looking for exploration upon this new, mysterious island.


Sevar (Kendrick) (Seh-var)

Race: Shifter

Class: Warden

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 152

Age: 37

Deity: Avandra

Alignment: Unaligned

Gender: Male

In between The Swamps and The Five Fingers, there were tribal colonies of shifters who inhabited the area. On one day a great dragon flew over the colonies and burned down everything. I was the only shifter to survive. I was only an infant and I rose from the ashes not knowing of what happened to my family and my people.

An earth elemental by the name of Enge wandered by the destruction and luckily found me. He took me in and raised me as his own. Taught me how to fight and use the earth as a source of energy and power. These were the ways of the warden. I soon realized I had to go out and see the world on my own. So I left Enge and took what he had showed me and traveled.

In later years I met another shifter by the name of Oahu. We have been traveling for some years now and we decided to venture forth to this new island where there are rumors of shifters being stripped of their traditions.


Pictures

-Map of Raleo (166 AN)

-Map of Aelar's Island

-Avonax

-Fellwinn

-Maars

-Oahu

-Sevar

NOTE: TO ACCESS PICTURES GO TO (www)(photobucket)com/user/Link4000z/profile/ AND GO TO ALBUMS. CLICK 'CORRUPTED EQUILIBRIUM' AND CHOOSE THE CORRECT CHAPTER.