OK, no more pointless 4e snarkfests. Besides, there's been just the tiniest trickle of things which give me hope it might not totally suck (though the new licensing program sure isn't one of them...). Anyway...
New York City is my hometown (more or less), so it always gets some focus in any kind of modern or post-disaster game. This is mostly a sketch of the city, a framework into which other ideas can pour. Half-ruined skyscrapers as fortress kingdoms, trade between them as if on the canals of Venice, twisted winged creatures flitting from rooftop to rooftop, and obscene monsters lurking in the drowned tunnels below...
(Someone fund me. I wanna write the supplement for this!)
But for now, a few paragraphs...and an organization.
I had no intention of writing up the Wyvern Lords when I started writing this essay. I just kept writing, and there they were, aging fanatics yearning for a dying dream, proud warriors twisted by self-hatred, missing the chance to build a new world because they are blinded by tears for the loss of the old...there's a lot of story hooks there.
This happens to me a lot. I just start writing, and ideas fall into place, and I end an essay somewhere I never expected it to go...
New York City
In 2020, New York City was a primary center of trade, industry, and commerce, with the metro region home to some 23 million people. The city was little different than it was in the early 21st century; the skyline had grown slightly, and the sprawl was even denser in the surrounding regions, but it had not experienced any radical changes in size or status.
The Crush struck it hard, as it did most of the Eastern Seaboard. Manhattan buckled and crumbled. Staten Island fractured. A rift cracked along the center of Long Island, destroying Brooklyn and Queens, along with must of the suburban sprawl. Bridges and tunnels collapsed under the strain, cutting the islands off from food -- not that there would be any coming, anyway. While millions survived the initial disaster, the death toll in the next few months was catastrophic; the region could not support a hundredth of its current population, and most died in fighting over the scarce resources.
In addition, the same place on Arith was home to the capital of Mantaros, the oldest of the Alliance Of Free Kingdoms. The largest city in Mantaros, Azalian, sprawled over the region, a blending of five older cities merged into a single political entity, and a center of learning, culture, and spellcraft. While almost overwhelmed in the merger, its population had power if not numbers, and reacted predictably to the seeming attack. Wyvern-riding troops mobilized from shattered rookeries. Wizards climbed out of the ruins of their towers and unleashed fire, ice, and choking gas on rioting mobs. Beings of all lands and races, trapped and confused, lashed out at anything which seemed hostile -- or which could not defend itself.
The result, inevitably, was slaughter. Millions died in the first few weeks, trapped in the ruins without food or potable water. Those who tried to swim often drowned in the tempests which followed the shattering of the coast, or were killed by monsters. Some, of course, made it, and surviving Coast Guard and naval units (both Earthborn and Arithian) did all they could. Sometime during this time, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Olympus sailed out to sea, with a full compliment of crew and planes, and, rumor has it, significant supplies seized from whatever stores they could find.
After a few months, the major fighting ended. Most of the populace which could flee, did; the rest entered a state of spiteful detente. Surviving skyscrapers became fortresses. Canny residents learned to set up fishing nets from fifth-floor windows to find food, and built rooftop stills and desalinization plants. A few managed to rig up solar panels to provide limited power. The city ruins could not support more than miniscule fraction of the old population, but New Yorkers in any universe are tough...
New York has the honor of being one of the few major American cities to not be consumed by a worldhole -- much as with Chicago, nukes aimed at it missed, striking New Jersey and creating the Blighted Woods. It is still in ruins, however. About one building in 10 is still standing. Manhattan is now submerged under about 40 feet of water, leaving many of the ruined buildings still partially visible, and turning navigation into a lethal game. Locals who have learned the lay of the land -- well, of the water -- and know which patterns of ripples spell a sharp steel shard ready to slice a hull in half -- can navigate the treacherous waters with relative safety -- they are much calmer than the Sparred Sea, but outsiders would be advised to travel slowly -- and know how to swim.
The largest land area still semi-habitable is Staten Island, or parts thereof. Relatively undeveloped, it offered areas which could be farmed by survivors. Several holdfasts exist on the island, some Arithian and some Earthborn, and there are constant brushfire wars between them.
The great buildings, ruined or not, of Manhattan provide an attractive nesting place for monsters, especially winged ones. A harpy colony rules the former Broadway area. Wyverns, now feral and wild, constantly prowl the skies. Assorted humanoids, mostly tribal exiles, have laid claim to various buildings. And there are rumors...rumors only, mind you...that the flooded and collapsed subway tunnels have, somehow, merged with darker and deeper caverns, home to things unknown and unknowable...
There are also more venal rumors -- that untold caches of wealth, stockpiles of gold and jewels, lie just below the surface or are hidden in some forgotten safe on some high level floor. Certainly, the wealthy of Manhattan did not manage to take all or even most of it with them, and some treasure must survive somewhere...Further, there is the fact that, almost forgotten in the ruins of New York lie the ruins of five of the largest Arithian cities. Artifacts, magical scrolls and treasures, strange items, powerful relics...all of these might still exist.
The Wyvern Lords
The Wyvern Lords of Azalian were once the elite fighting force of the Alliance Of Free Kingdoms, legendary for their skill, honor, and bravery. When the Crush hit, many of them survived the initial chaos, only to fall trying to protect their people or reclaim what was left of their home. A small number, seeing the odds growing desperate and hope growing slim, made a painful decision. They pulled back, leaving the sinking islands, and took refuge in the north, roughly (and ironically) in the location of Valhalla, New York. While this area, too, had been shattered by the Crush, it was generally less war-torn, and it was fairly easy for the 50 or so riders who fled -- or, as they put it, retreated -- to find shelter and a place to dig in, protecting bands of Arithian refugees who were in desperate need of such protection. Shamed by their flight, the Wyvern Lords have sworn to reclaim the lands of Azalian, and to defend all citizens of the Free Kingdoms who come seeking their aid. The Valhalla Holdfast (or, as they call it, New Azalian) is one of the largest pure-Arith holdfasts on the East Coast. The region has become an island some 15 miles across, and it is now tightly held by the Wyvern Lords. Earthborn are forced off at swordpoint; if they resist, they are killed.
The Wyvern Lords are harsh, but fair, masters to those under their protection. A military organization, they have little patience with the needs or interests of civilians, and consider themselves to be in a state of constant war. Rules in New Azalian are simple, direct, and ruthlessly enforced. All resources other than those needed for pure survival are directed towards the goal of "reclaiming Azalian", and then, the entirety of the Alliance. While most Arithians have painfully accepted that this world is neither Earth nor Arith, but a new land to which neither side has full title, the Wyvern Lords reject this conclusion utterly. This is their land; they will let no one claim otherwise.
The human Wyvern Lords, 40 of the 50 who left Azalian, are all aging; the youngest is 50. A handful of new Lords are being trained, but there is a fear that with such a small pool to pull from, the glory of the Wyvern Lords will soon fade. This has made many of them desperate; if something is not done soon, all of their dreams will come to naught. A few in the Holdfast have begun to wonder what the point would be in reclaiming a drowned ruin, when building New Azalian into a true city is a much more desirable goal, but few will wonder this out loud. Wyvern Lords have keen ears...
Showing posts with label creative ramblings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creative ramblings. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Gnobody Gnomes The Trouble I've Seen...
On to another race, one which gets little love in the world of D&D, the gnomes. In part, this writeup was due to the self-confessed inability of the 4e design team to find a role for gnomes which wasn't either "short dwarves" or "short elves". It took me all of five minutes to come up with a basic concept which brought together the 1e/early 2e incarnation of gnomes as forest and hill dwelling trickster/crafters and the 3e/MMORPG incarnation of gnomes as technologically adept, and make them very clearly their own culture and not either Dwarf Lite or Elf Lite. This ain't rocket science, people.
(Again, I'm not claiming Great Originality here, nor is that what I'm aiming for. Given the stats of gnomes and their most common gaming interpretations, all I'm going for is something which works and provides enough background that I can guess what J. Random Gnome might do in a given situation or give a PC who wishes to play a gnome a skeleton on which they can build their character. True originality -- as opposed to just filing down the serial numbers and applying a quick coat of paint -- isn't really a virtue in RPG worldbuilding; the more alien and incomprehensible the world is, the more work it is to play in or, FSM forbid, run. There's a reason that any one of 10,000 Tolkien rip offs sell more copies than, say, "Skyrealms of Jorune". Criticizing my work for unoriginality is like criticizing an elephant for not having wings.)
Of course, since no one in my current campaign plays a gnome, none of this will be useful for a while. So it goes. But an idea crawled into my brain, and it won't rest until I let it crawl out.
(As a side note, it's interesting to see how the worldbuilding process works, at least for me, and if no one ever reads this blog, it's still a good record, for my own use, of the creative process. Skallidane exists only because a player wanted to run a Warforged; I yoinked the island itself from, of course, Swift's Laputa, and my own extremely inchoate concept of a gameworld inspired by console RPGs; I have had an idea for a flying island of steampunk ultratech burbling in the back of my mind for a few years now. So from the chaoplasm of vague ideas solidified the concept, in rough form; with the Warforged backstory, the end of Skallidane was fixed; that, in turn, gave me a hook for the gnomes, whose history helped add in details about the place. We now have a decent image of what a Skallidane street scene might look like, or at least I do; if I even do Arith itself as a setting, I have something to draw on. I steal from myself as much as, or more than, I steal from others, and fragments of barely-begun worlds often make their way into later creations.)
Gnomes
History
Very long ago, thousands of years in Arith's past, the gnomes dwelled primarily in the hilled grasslands and temperate forests. They were skilled toolmakers and hard workers, but lacked the warlike industry of the dwarves, the arcane might of the elves, or swift cunning of the wild halflings. They were closest in character to the village halflings, in fact, and the two peoples often lived in peace in close proximity. Their most fierce wars were against the goblins, who dwelt in the caves nearest the surface world and often boiled up to overrun the woods for a time.
Then came the technomages of Skallidane. Seeing a race of people with mechanical skill but easily conquered (or so they thought), they steered their island across each major gnome homeland, raiding the villages for slaves. In time, the race was practically extinguished on the surface of Arith; only on Skallidane itself did they exist in any numbers.
For centuries, they lived and toiled, learning the secrets of their masters, and plotting their revenge. Gnomes were not front line combatants by nature, but they were cunning and crafty. Subtle flaws -- so subtle, it would take a generation to notice even the smallest -- were added to the machines. Changes were made in way in which incarnum was harvested and implanted in the Warforged. Decade after decade, generation after generation, revolution was brewing.
Even now, almost all scholars attribute the fall of Skallidane to the Warforged. The gnomes were seen as victims finally liberated from their cruel masters, and keeping this illusion going is something the gnomes are quite happy with.
Since then, their homelands have been long since destroyed or settled by others. The gnomes who fled Skallidane spread across Arith, seeking community among other races. They were clever, peaceful, and hard-working. They never sought active power or demanded more than to be allowed to live in peace, and they did all they could to fit in, not make waves, and otherwise be as unobtrusive as possible. Small in stature and in numbers, they realized they could survive best under the shelter of others. Each gnomish community adapted itself to its environment, to cause the least possible friction with their hosts. Cities and villages with gnomish enclaves prospered, as the gnomes added little strain to public services and contributed much wealth to the city, as craftsmen, workers, or spellcasters. They also brought with them some of the lesser arts of Skallidane, and became known in some areas as the makers of wondrous toys and devices, none useful in daily life or warfare, but fun little fripperies to amuse and entertain.
All of this is true, and the gnomish heart is rarely filled with malice or spite. However, they are neither harmless nor helpless. Wrong a gnome, and disaster will befall you in a thousand little ways. In their most secure communities, often in sub-sub-basements no one knows are there, lie many secrets, for it is not merely the lesser arts of technomancy which the gnomes preserved and kept secret. They learned a harsh lesson, once, about being as harmless as they seemed, and they will never allow themselves to be used or enslaved again.
Today
The Crush did as much to disrupt the gnomes as it did anyone else; all the more so, because the gnomes were mostly found in the larger cities of Arith. Since then, many gnome bands have become wanderers, often traveling alongside halfling caravans, but unlike the halflings, they seek places to live. Much more skilled with machinery than other Arithians, they are finding that they can be of value to Earthborn holdfasts who are struggling to maintain failing devices, and they have begun, very subtly, adding in the arts of Skallidane where they can. The Earthborn, for the most part, do not recognize this, and just think the Ornaments (slang term for gnomes) are skilled workers.
A small number of gnomes have decided that this is the perfect time to regain their lands; since the Shattered World is neither Earth nor Arith, but someplace truly new, they feel no one else has any true prior claim on their homes. Many have sought out ancestral dwelling places and seek to tame and reclaim them. A few have tried to recreate "true gnomish culture", as it was pre-Skallidane, going back to old styles of dress, naming, and even language. Most consider this a pointless self indulgence, probably inspired by reading a lot of Earth political tracts.
Mechanics
Gnomes are mostly as described in the PHB or SRD. Gnomes who strongly take after the culture they dwell in may take the following options:
(Again, I'm not claiming Great Originality here, nor is that what I'm aiming for. Given the stats of gnomes and their most common gaming interpretations, all I'm going for is something which works and provides enough background that I can guess what J. Random Gnome might do in a given situation or give a PC who wishes to play a gnome a skeleton on which they can build their character. True originality -- as opposed to just filing down the serial numbers and applying a quick coat of paint -- isn't really a virtue in RPG worldbuilding; the more alien and incomprehensible the world is, the more work it is to play in or, FSM forbid, run. There's a reason that any one of 10,000 Tolkien rip offs sell more copies than, say, "Skyrealms of Jorune". Criticizing my work for unoriginality is like criticizing an elephant for not having wings.)
Of course, since no one in my current campaign plays a gnome, none of this will be useful for a while. So it goes. But an idea crawled into my brain, and it won't rest until I let it crawl out.
(As a side note, it's interesting to see how the worldbuilding process works, at least for me, and if no one ever reads this blog, it's still a good record, for my own use, of the creative process. Skallidane exists only because a player wanted to run a Warforged; I yoinked the island itself from, of course, Swift's Laputa, and my own extremely inchoate concept of a gameworld inspired by console RPGs; I have had an idea for a flying island of steampunk ultratech burbling in the back of my mind for a few years now. So from the chaoplasm of vague ideas solidified the concept, in rough form; with the Warforged backstory, the end of Skallidane was fixed; that, in turn, gave me a hook for the gnomes, whose history helped add in details about the place. We now have a decent image of what a Skallidane street scene might look like, or at least I do; if I even do Arith itself as a setting, I have something to draw on. I steal from myself as much as, or more than, I steal from others, and fragments of barely-begun worlds often make their way into later creations.)
Gnomes
History
Very long ago, thousands of years in Arith's past, the gnomes dwelled primarily in the hilled grasslands and temperate forests. They were skilled toolmakers and hard workers, but lacked the warlike industry of the dwarves, the arcane might of the elves, or swift cunning of the wild halflings. They were closest in character to the village halflings, in fact, and the two peoples often lived in peace in close proximity. Their most fierce wars were against the goblins, who dwelt in the caves nearest the surface world and often boiled up to overrun the woods for a time.
Then came the technomages of Skallidane. Seeing a race of people with mechanical skill but easily conquered (or so they thought), they steered their island across each major gnome homeland, raiding the villages for slaves. In time, the race was practically extinguished on the surface of Arith; only on Skallidane itself did they exist in any numbers.
For centuries, they lived and toiled, learning the secrets of their masters, and plotting their revenge. Gnomes were not front line combatants by nature, but they were cunning and crafty. Subtle flaws -- so subtle, it would take a generation to notice even the smallest -- were added to the machines. Changes were made in way in which incarnum was harvested and implanted in the Warforged. Decade after decade, generation after generation, revolution was brewing.
Even now, almost all scholars attribute the fall of Skallidane to the Warforged. The gnomes were seen as victims finally liberated from their cruel masters, and keeping this illusion going is something the gnomes are quite happy with.
Since then, their homelands have been long since destroyed or settled by others. The gnomes who fled Skallidane spread across Arith, seeking community among other races. They were clever, peaceful, and hard-working. They never sought active power or demanded more than to be allowed to live in peace, and they did all they could to fit in, not make waves, and otherwise be as unobtrusive as possible. Small in stature and in numbers, they realized they could survive best under the shelter of others. Each gnomish community adapted itself to its environment, to cause the least possible friction with their hosts. Cities and villages with gnomish enclaves prospered, as the gnomes added little strain to public services and contributed much wealth to the city, as craftsmen, workers, or spellcasters. They also brought with them some of the lesser arts of Skallidane, and became known in some areas as the makers of wondrous toys and devices, none useful in daily life or warfare, but fun little fripperies to amuse and entertain.
All of this is true, and the gnomish heart is rarely filled with malice or spite. However, they are neither harmless nor helpless. Wrong a gnome, and disaster will befall you in a thousand little ways. In their most secure communities, often in sub-sub-basements no one knows are there, lie many secrets, for it is not merely the lesser arts of technomancy which the gnomes preserved and kept secret. They learned a harsh lesson, once, about being as harmless as they seemed, and they will never allow themselves to be used or enslaved again.
Today
The Crush did as much to disrupt the gnomes as it did anyone else; all the more so, because the gnomes were mostly found in the larger cities of Arith. Since then, many gnome bands have become wanderers, often traveling alongside halfling caravans, but unlike the halflings, they seek places to live. Much more skilled with machinery than other Arithians, they are finding that they can be of value to Earthborn holdfasts who are struggling to maintain failing devices, and they have begun, very subtly, adding in the arts of Skallidane where they can. The Earthborn, for the most part, do not recognize this, and just think the Ornaments (slang term for gnomes) are skilled workers.
A small number of gnomes have decided that this is the perfect time to regain their lands; since the Shattered World is neither Earth nor Arith, but someplace truly new, they feel no one else has any true prior claim on their homes. Many have sought out ancestral dwelling places and seek to tame and reclaim them. A few have tried to recreate "true gnomish culture", as it was pre-Skallidane, going back to old styles of dress, naming, and even language. Most consider this a pointless self indulgence, probably inspired by reading a lot of Earth political tracts.
Mechanics
Gnomes are mostly as described in the PHB or SRD. Gnomes who strongly take after the culture they dwell in may take the following options:
- Dwarf:+2 Profession (Mining) instead of Craft (Alchemy)
- Elf:May choose any type of magic (but only one) to get a +1 bonus to save DCs;Dodge bonus vs. giants drops to +3.
- Human:Gain +4 skill points at first level only; lose Weapon Familiarty and the ability to Speak With Mammals, only receive a +2 AC modifer against Giants.
- Halfling:Gain +1 racial bonus on climb, jump, and move silently; lose weapon familiarity and +2 Craft (Alchemy)
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