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[The Swashbuckler]

  The heroes saved the world from being plunged into an anarchistic state ruled over by iron fisted despots who unknowingly owed their positions to the Dark Gods.

  A miracle was performed and then repeated over a week's time as the party Cleric had gained the power to resurrect the dead, which was unknown in the world for many hundreds of years.

  The heroes faced the Council of the High Elves and instead of attacking and slaughtering them all, they were able to convince them of the madness they embarked upon and how that madness had corrupted their forms. Relenting, the High Council gave up their power and pitched themselves into the darkness behind their thrones, dashing their bodies across the jagged rocks deep within the far northern mountains of their home. In doing so, they council unwittingly released a blight that would become known as trolls upon the world from the smashed fleshy bits that remained of their forms.

  The Heroes retired and went their separate ways;

  The Swashbuckler returned to his family's lands with his wife and restored the lands from the war and battles that had raged across it, began to raise a family and also trained the next generation of Drac Knights. In the final battle, he walked the Lands of Dreams and the Dead and learned a great many things, only one of which he was able to remember when pulled back by the Miracle of the Cleric.

  The Cleric settled in the capital of the Barony and married a wealthy merchant and began her own family and to lead the flock of Barony's church. Where she regularly had to decline the invitations, bordering on crazed pleadings, of the High Expositor of the Church of the Pantheon to move to the capital of their religion. Her choice to remain in New Black Rock brought forth tremendous prosperity as pilgrims from across the Kingdoms of Man came forth to witness her connection to the gods and receive the miracles she could provide.

  The Sun Elf Wizard returned to her tower and made many trips to the tower of the undying wizard and worked with him for many more seasons. She kept in contact with her friends, the Heroes of Dracspyre, in part due to some research she was commissioned to do for the Swashbuckler and The Cleric.

  The High Elf was finally returned home and took her place as the head of the new High Council, when her father abdicated his power, after her friends convinced him of his folly. She restored the clouded minds of the High Elves and they returned to the duty bestowed upon them by the gods, which is to record the events of the world as shown in the magical tapestries. Curiously, she remained in her position for a remarkably brief period (a mere handful of years, instead of  the centuries as was common) and disappeared from the home of the High Elves and was never again seen upon the tapestries.

  The Sun Elf Druid, returned to the nearly abandoned and destroyed home of his youth, the Village of Carsage. He helped the few remaining farmers rebuild their fields and helped them bridge the gap between themselves and the stone giants who had lived a secluded life in the mountains above the village. With his assistance, the stone giants and the remaining villagers prospered and then one day, he was simply gone. A few villagers claim they saw a tall elven maiden arrive in the village and travel to the Druid's home at dusk and that was the last anyone saw of either of them.

  The Snow Elf Arcane Blade, in the final battle against the Great Elemental Wyrm of Fire, the Snow Elf lead the initial assault, blasting the Wyrm with spells of snow and ice. In the end, the Great Wyrm struck the Snow Elf and her Drake mount causing them to crash into the ruins of the King's Summer Palace. Without her assault, the day would have never been won. Unfortunately, she could never be given the proper burial that she was due, as neither her body, nor that of her Drake was ever found. As the years stretched on, rumors persisted about a Snow Elf atop a White Drake swooping in and defending lone travelers in the icy Northern Mountains between the lands of the Snow Elves and the land of the High Elves.

  The Sun Elf Ranger (NPC), Louis, the old grizzled veteran settled in at Dracspyre, continuing to serve his liege, Baron Carsage, he protected the lands surrounding Dracspyre, raised Drakes and trained many pairs of Drac Knights and their mounts. He married a villager and raised a small family. All while acting as surrogate father to the children of his good friend and companion Captain Ayla and Roy.

  Human Fighter (NPC), Captain Ayla remained at Dracspyre, working with her friend Louis, she helped train many Drac Knights for the reborn order. She raised her twins with the help of her friend, but otherwise remained alone. Her heart had been given away and a part of her felt that the journey she and Roy began was far from over.

  The Mountain Dwarves, having discovered that the truth behind what had caused them to shut themselves off from the world was built upon a lie created by the Dark Gods, they once more opened the doors to their mountain homes and began to trade with the Kingdoms of Man. Their steamships of the air traveled across the lands, bringing many marvels of Mountain Dwarven Design.

  The Marsh Elves, born from the ideals of the Heroes of Dracspyre, the beings that were once composed of marsh mud and plant material, continued to evolve and prosper as the second Race of Man that was born from something other than humans. The Marsh Spirit took its place amongst the Gods of the Pantheon.

  The Kobolds of Dracspyre, the pack of the Dogmen of Dracspyre, as they are also known, continued to prosper within the village proper. They joined as full members of the community over time, taking up duties outside of the Drake caves under the tower. Out of their numbers rose a family of merchants, a handful of Drac Knights, several Rangers/Scouts and a number of other prominent positions within the community.

  The Cadre of Halflings, the adventurers from the Rovani Confederation returned home, upon their Drakes and trained many Rovani Horsemen in the care and cooperation with a Drake needed to become a Drac Knight. They had many more adventures across the land and their legend grew to be equals of the Heroes of Dracspyre.

  The Mad, The Vain and The Stoic smiths continued their work producing the weapons of the Drac Knights until their bodies gave out and they retired. It was said that over their lives they produced tens of thousands of the magical weapons, enough to serve the reborn order for more a century.

  The Marsh Bears, not long after the disappearance of the High Elf and the Sun Elf Druid, a number of bears within the marshes at the edge of the Carsage Barony began to show incredible signs of intelligence. These same bears were also able to speak the Hakurian Trade Tongue. The bears spoke of an elf with antlers and his companion having visited them to pay an old debt. In time, virtually all of the bears within the marsh were uplifted and they joined the community of Marsh Elves.

  Sir Pedel and Emily, both lived a long, healthy and fruitful life filled with the laughs and joy of many children. Eventually Sir Pedel took the place of First Knight of the Barony, far than exceeding the expectations of his father and the positions his brothers ever attained.

  The Brothers Radiche, after the war the brothers continued on with working for the Heroes of Dracspyre until most of the celebrations tapered off. With the bounty they acquired through their service to the Heroes of Dracspyre, the Baron and ultimately the new King, they retired from the mercenary life and returned to farming radishes and other vegetables.
 

  ...the one thing that The Swashbuckler chose to remember

  The Fate of Roy, when struck down by the blast of shadow from the Shadow Dragon, Roy's soul was torn from his body, which was then inhabited by a thing of darkness. His soul was shunted into the Elemental Plane of Shadow to take the place of the Darkness that briefly animated his corpse. He awakened in this new land as a shadow of his former self, he was dressed and equipped as he was in life, but devoid of the color of life, as all shadowy beings are. His arrival in the Elemental PLane proved to be fortuitous to a small contingent of Merchants, a group of descendants of original Prime Material beings who were captured and pulled into the Plane of Shadow centuries in the past, who were being besieged by monstrous creatures of shadow.

  With nary a thought, Roy drew forth an arrow and set his destiny within the Plane of Shadow...

  What the Swashbuckler was told is that Roy still lives and he is still a hero, trapped in the Elemental Plane of Shadow. Having a strong loyalty to their friends and companions, the Swashbuckler and the Cleric set themselves to the task of finding a way into the Elemental Plane of Shadow to find their friend and attempt to bring him back home.



  The Sun Elf Archer, Roy Knot's body fell to the dark powers of the Shadow Dragon, only his spirit didn't die. He found himself in the Elemental Plane of Shadow, trapped with many other poor souls, like himself and the descendants of those who had been pulled into that plane centuries in the past, when the Elemental Lords could easily traverse the barriers between the planes. In short time, he took up a bow once again and helped form a strong force of good in the Lands of Shadow and freed a good many trapped souls and Son of Men (Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings) from the tyrannical slavery of the Elemental Shadow Lords. When he could find time... he sought a way home.

[The Gods of Man]

  The core conflicts within Hakur are based upon the assumptions that Order (represented by Lawful), Chaos (Represented by Chaotic), Good and Evil are all measurable quantifiable 'elements' that can impact life. These elements are further represented by factions that embody these aspects in physical form. For the most part, each faction has a clear connection to one or more of these elements and struggle with one another as follows:

  The Gods of Man mostly represent both Law and Good. Even amongst the gods, there are some who are neutral and some who are chaotic. For the most part, the Gods of Man built the Elemental Seals and made the order which has allowed the races of man to flourish upon the lands of Hakur.

  The Elemental Lords mostly represent Chaos. For the most part they do not care about Good or Evil, just in showing their supremacy over all other elements. Their even matched conflict has been waged for as long as time has existed and would have continued to wage if it had not been for The Gods of Man locking away the bitter conflict, creating order on The Prime. While together the Elemental Lords represent Chaos, the Elemental Lords of Earth believe in Order so strongly that they are willing to commit to a war which would cause terrible chaos for untold centuries just to see their version of order in place.

  The Dark Gods are the incarnation of Evil. Foul and vile, these beings have corrupted men, giving birth to Goblins, Ogres, Faceless, the terrible Orcs and other evil minded beings. They corrupted the great True Wyrms, giving birth to Dragons in one of their many bids to destroy the Gods of Man.

[Locations]

  Currently, the growing setting for this game takes place in a fictionalized Detroit, Michigan that borrows heavily from Detroit as it exists today. Certain historical landmarks and once flourishing elements of the city take a part in the setting.

  Locations

  Trapper's Alley Once a bustling place of Mundie shops, this landmark in Greektown has been replaced by the Greektown Casino. Of course, there's another way in that only Wizards can see, which leads to the magical marketplace, still known as Trapper's Alley. Within this magical Trapper's Alley, a wizard can find a large number of goods and some services that only a wizard would need. A large number of Greek descended Wizards run shops and businesses in the alley, unlike the rest of Greek Town, which is filled mostly with businesses that have nothing to do with Greece.

  Michigan Central Station In the past, this now long Mundie abandoned train station was the heart of Detroit and the Midwest. It's beautiful architecture has fallen into ruin from Mund neglect. Of course, the Wizard community hasn't let the building go to waste. It is a thriving center of wizard travel, complete with a wizard's hotel. At any given time a number of magical trains and teleportation devices are being used by wizards coming and going to far off places.

[8.]

  8. There are magical methods of fast transportation. Besides the more common flying devices, like brooms, chairs, rugs, bicycles, motorcycles and cars there are teleportation devices in various places around the world that allow for instant transportation from one point to another. Some, very powerful, wizards are also able to teleport through their own power via powerful magical spells. Even then, more than a few of these old, powerful wizards prefer to travel via flying devices; they're simply more fun than teleportation.

[5.]

  5. Wizards who grow up in the Magical world simply have no base knowledge about the Mundane world. Things Mundane people take for granted are as strange and alien to a wizard as magical creatures, creations and magic itself would be to a Mundane. Certainly there are certain things that cross-over, obviously a door is a door and those are no serious issue, other things are far less obvious.

  Take Cell Phones, practically any Mundane can pick one up and know what needs to be done to make a call. A wizard on the other hand has never used a regular phone, let alone a cellular phone. They use Communication Orbs, which are small crystal globes that one simple needs to hold in his/her hand think about who they wish to speak with and if the other wizard wishes to he/she pulls out a Communication Orb and two-way visual communication commences. It's always been that way. Thus a Wizard confronted with a Cell Phone would be as lost as a 50 year old who has never lain a hand upon a computer is.

  Of course, there is a slight chance that the wizard got an episode of the very popular Tele-Orb show "What Will They Think of Next?!". It's a wizard game show of sorts where the host takes one or more Mundane devices/items and with audience participation, determines what the device is and how it is used. Thus, a wizard could make an Intelligence SIEGE Engine check with a challenge level determined by the complexity of the device, set by the CK. Success means that the wizard may have an idea of at least the most basic functions the device has.

  6. Why not use guns? Nobody said you couldn't. However, there are a few things to consider. One, legally purchasing a handgun will require a criminal background check, fully automatic weapons would then be out of the question. Two, what would the gun be used for? They may work great against fellow wizards who lack protection against Mundane Ranged attacks. However, they won't necessarily work against magical beings who might only be capable of being harmed by magical attacks or very specific materials that they just don't make bullets out of, for various reasons. Three, wizards, unless Mundane born and or happen to be Sentinels wouldn't really know the first thing about how to locate, purchase, load and then use a gun. Lastly, if one is seeking an illegal handgun or other firearm, the character would need to actively seek out an underground Mundie source for the weapon, which could be an adventure all in itself.

  7. There are Wizard versions of most modern conveniences, some of which have been around for many dozens to hundreds of years, before the Mundane version was invented. For example, the Munds have the Microwave Oven, while nearly every Wizard household has the Heating Box. Unlike the Microwave, the heating box has a simple dial with the following settings, Thaw, Just Right, Lukewarm and Perfectly Hot. Also unlike the Microwave, the Heating Box always perfectly handles the objects placed inside, there won't be any cold spots in a "Microwavable" Dinner taken straight from the freezer and put into the Heating Box set to 'Just Right'.

  (More to follow)

[1.]

  Matt and I have come up with the following setting assumptions to create some kind of consistency in the modern setting All Wizards Campaign that emulates elements from both Harry Potter and The Dresden Files. This list is by no means complete and may change before being finalized for either a netbook or actual publication.

  1. Slang term for non-magical folk. Magical Folk set themselves apart from non-magical folk with a slang term. The formal slang for a non-magical person is to call him/her a Mundane. Informally they are called Munds or Mundies.

  2. Wizards tend to have jobs. Whether it is fully in the magical world or straddling both worlds, wizards need to eat too. The following is a short list of Wizard Jobs, which is by no means complete:

       Mage Eyes - These wizards act like a mystical police force and "army" of sorts. They investigate and arrest magical beings who break the laws and also weave spells to cover up magical exposures.

       Sentinels - These wizards straddle both the magical and the mundane world. They act as protectors of the secret of the magical world often by obfuscating magic, seeking out law-breaking magical beings while at the same time seeking out Mundane born people touched with magic, in order to bring them into proper training so they don't accidentally case mayhem and havoc. The most notable Sentinel in the modern world is David Copperfield, a very highly skilled and popular "Stage Magician".

       Naturalist - Magical creatures need care and protection from being discovered and or accidentally destroyed by Mundane activities.

       Beauracrats - Every society needs these kind of people. They come in all forms, from lowly paper pushers, just doing their jobs, to the lawmakers and great leaders of society that set the tone and mood while they lead.

       Reporters - Even wizards have news and need things investigated in ways that even Mage Eyes are unable. These wizards come in all types, from the hard hitting investigative reporters to the "Fluff Piece" Wizardtainment 'Reporters'.

      Sports Players - Wizards have their own sports to play and people who dedicate themselves to their game.

  3. Munds just don't "see" magic. They can and occasionally some do. For the most part, the use of magical devices, such as flying cars, motorcycles and similar are things they just don't register as being out of place due to charms integrated in the making of such items. Of course, these charms are unable to handle reckless displays of magic. Thus, showboating by driving like lunatic or committing drive-by "wandings" will break the charm and any Mundane nearby will register that "something" is up. This "charm" effect extends to events like David Copperfield's shows, mostly because Mundanes tend to rationalize away the "real" magic.

  4. All Wizards need something to "Focus" their magic through. For the majority of wizards, this is a wand, although some have been known to use special rings and other objects. A 'wand' can be anything from a traditionaly prepared stick to a specially prepared fountain pen that can be used for writing one moment and then for casting a spell the next.

  (More Assumptions to follow)

  Out of all the magical humanoid, Goblins are terribly pitiful creatures commonly up to no good. They are sneaky, selfish, often ill-tempered, bad mannered thieves with a terrible sense of hygiene and little by way of modesty.

  The average Goblin stands between 2-1/2 feet to 3 feet in height. They have bulbous, bumpy round heads with swollen looking eyes the size of pool cue balls. Set between their eyes is a tiny nose barely good for sniffing a rose, which hardly ever stops a Goblin from digging in deep to extract a slimy (and tasty to them) wad of snot. Their thin lips are a slightly darker color than the rest of their skin, which is able to blend slightly with its surroundings over time. Meaning that a Goblin of a forest will have a ruddy brown green mottled appearance while a city dwelling Goblin may take on a slightly gray appearance or whatever color is predominantly used in building and road construction. Hiding behind those thin lips is the largest portion of a Goblin's head, it's mouth. Two large rows of often yellowed and blackened broken teeth fill a Goblin's enormously wide mouth, if not for their magical nature one might seriously wonder how, with such a mouth, the top of a Goblin's head remains attached to the bottom.

  Beneath their over sized, bumpy, bulbous head sits a thin neck that seems hardly suited to allow the passage of food such a large mouth can take in at once. Attached to that neck is a wiry thin body that almost looks like it could pass for an emaciated body of a child, if not for the stubby bowlegged legs and overly long arms, both of which end in oddly over sized feet and hands.

  A Goblin's ears are also over sized like their mouth, feet and hands are. They almost look like the Catcher's Mitt used in that popular Mund game of baseball. These large ears are well suited to seeking out the faintest of sounds, which makes hiding from or sneaking up on a Goblin a difficult thing to say the least. Of course, their large ears are also a target and one good way to get a Goblin to run away is to box it upon the ears. Doing this will most certainly cause a Goblin to run off in pain for nearly an hour as their ears ring with pain.

  Alone, a Goblin rarely ever poses any kind of threat. They do their best to stay out of the way of Munds and eek out their existence eating garbage, vermin and sometimes stealing pies and sweets if they can get away with it. Such Goblins tend to stay in one area, watching and listening, which can make them good sources of information, especially if prodded correctly. Groups of Goblins, on the other hand, tend to get in trouble that a lone Goblin would certainly stay away from. As more Goblins join a group, a mischievous ill-tempered streak emerges which has caused far more incidents than the Congress of Wizards cares to count.

  Thankfully, Goblins tend to enjoy more solitary lives than their other Fae cousins tend to.

  Like all magical beings, Goblins do have some abilities which help them live amongst the Munds and protect themselves, if the need arises. All Goblins can make themselves scarce by turning themselves invisible for short periods of time, which is often far more than enough to sneak away or find a better "hidey-spot" as they are known to say. A handful of Goblins also have access to additional magical abilities gleaned either by sneaking around and learning over a Wizard's shoulder or by stealing books and tools from a Wizard's home.

  With all that said, there are certainly some exceptions to the rule.

  The following guidelines should be followed when posting in this section. In time, it is likely that a number of sub-headings will be created featuring specific genres for running an "All Wizard Campaign"

   The "All Wizards Campaign" rules changes can be used to run with a multitude of settings; modern, fantasy, "historic", futuristic and what-have-you. The following should be included at the very beginning of a post specifying whether or not the rule, option or element fits into one single category or would work for more than one setting/genre.

  (GENERAL) - Basic Rules that are the same regardless of genre being emulated.

  (MODERN) - Reflects rules, genre and setting assumptions that "fit" to a Modern campaign.

  (FANTSY) - Reflects rules, genre and setting assumptions that "fit" to a Fantasy campaign.

  (FUTURE) - Reflects rules, genre and setting assumptions that "fit" to a Future campaign.

  (HISTORIC) - Reflects rules, genre and setting assumptions that "fit" to a "Historic" campaign.

  If a setting is named, then the setting name should be used in the parenthesis. For example, Matt and I have started work on a mixture setting, taking parts from both Harry Potter and the Dresden Files, mixing them up and producing a modern setting that could be very different from another modern setting. For now, I would call this setting (Potter/Dresden), until a better name can be determined.

This topic has been moved to All Wizard Campaign.

http://forum.nelzie.net/index.php?topic=37.0

[Plotting and Scheming Elemental Lords]

Plotting and Scheming Elemental Lords

Always scheming and plotting to find a way to return to their glorious chaotic war, the Elemental Lords are continually plotting against the Gods of Man and the great seals that keep them locked into their planes of existence. There were times when these Elemental Lords are able to momentarily break the bonds of their seal and push some of their forces into the realm of men.

Fortunately, these times have always been short-lived, as the bonds of the seals would return all of the Elemental Lords to their home plane before they could get very far. After many ages of attempting to break through the seals, the Elemental Lords began looking at other plans to break free from their prisons.