“Say what, you do what?” I get this a lot. It has been a long time since I have run a normal campaign that was straight from a book or module. My group has their own unique way of looking at things. Most of the oddities are talked about in this giant site, but I wanted a place where it is compiled for quick reference. This is going to be a long page, so I have sectioned it off like an FAQ.
What is the first five?
Being together for 30+ years you start to realize a few things. The DM’s and the players tenancies, etc. But we came to the conclusion about 2 years ago that the start of the adventures when we play, always slogged along. It took forever to get rolling. So we decided that a short story leading into the adventure allowed us to start the session at full throttle. From it’s initial “trial” run to now it has been a huge success. Our party looks forward to it, like a short story leading up to a playable adventure. It can be as mundane as shopping and parties, to sometimes battles and encounters.
When I write them, it is still an adventure in my head. When I come up to a situation or encounter I roll the dice. If I roll low, something bad happens, if I roll good, it’s good. It makes it interesting for me so I am not just writing through and adding my ideals into the story alone. This throws a wrench in the works for my thought process, creating plot lines, as small as they might be. It can be a lot of fun, and a challenge.
The Gods, Goddesses, Demi-Gods and Cast Outs
Quick review: At one point there was only one known god in Legon. That was Animax. Lore tells us that there was 3 at one time. Good – Animax, Neutral – Immryllion, Evil – Atticus. But the Night Assassin Atticus was cast out by the Neutral goddess, and all but destroyed.* Immryllion took on Animax for the sole proprietor of the Godplane, and lost. She was cast out and almost forgotten. Then Finster set his sights to the godplane and due to circumstances, the Evil Clerics second attempt to ascend was expedited by none other than Animax himself. And then there is Ikon…
Animax
God of Good & Light
Finster
God of Evil & Strength
Immryllion
(Cast Out) Goddess of Neutrality & Domination
Atticus
(Cast Out) God of Evil – “A slice in the night”
Ikon
Much about him still unknown. Just that he is Animaxes older brother.
Edwin
Rumored Angel, born from Ikon and given to Animax.
Why only three major races?
Because that is how we roll. The long and short of it is; we are refraining from races that are humanoid with an animal head on it. We don’t want fairies running around like they have cities and Kingdoms, we want to keep an immersive feel to our adventures and our campaign. Human. Dwarf. Elf. There are a few others, but they are minor; Goliath, Gnome and Kenku being the examples.
Read more about it: Why So Few Races?
Who is Chance? Who is Vulcuran?
These are the main characters in the campaigns.
Chance is a young quarter elf that lived on a tropical isle, much like the Caribbean. His adventures have taken him away from there and to the second biggest Kingdom in Legon, Camerondale. His adventures can be read here. If you have the bandwidth, try this: All The Banners.
Vulcuran was the original character before his demise. He was the Duke of a growing Kingdom called Camerondale, his adventures were plenty; but only ones starting from 1999 made it to the internet unfortunately. They are being revised and edited here.
How does magic work?
There are two long pages you can read in regards to magic, and why it was banned for over 1,000 years. The long and short of it all:
– The four elements are the root of all magical property. Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. In some way one or all of them help generate the power we call magic on Legon.
– To truly control it, there are forces that guide the incantations and such; good and evil. Much like a railroad track, having both rails allows for the train to move fast and without issue. For the longest time, there was only Animax in the godplane (god of good), meaning half of the guiding magic was gone. This made it very volatile and dangerous. Think of how well a train will ride without one side of the track? It could make it to some places, maybe, but odds are, it would be disastrous. Now that Finster (evil god) has ascended, magic has safely returned.
– Intelligence and Mana is a factor. Every person on Legon has Mana, (3 points to start) so at some level people have the ability to cast magic. Many limitations and dangers, to long to mention here (see the link below for an in depth discussion). For one; Anyone with an INT under 13 can never understand how magic works, and will never be able to cast a spell. A natural way to weed out the dumb asses who try to use it and would probably fail miserably.
General Magic Information || When Magic Was Banned
A banner for every episode?
Yes.
I create a banner that represents the EP the best it can, for every single one (Chances). It can be time consuming but it’s fun and I enjoy them. So no matter the adventure it will have it’s own “brand” so to speak. To view the banners and if you have the bandwidth, try this: All The Banners. Otherwise use the “adventures” drop down, then “All Adventures Banners” navigation slide out to see them in a more bandwidth friendly environment.
What is the Underearth?
On Legon, there really is no hell “plane”, or the abyss, etc. There is a godplane and what gods are there, are there. But, there is what we call the “underearth” realm that harbors demons and devils of the like. It is a way to uniquely incorporate the hellish and Fey based things and creatures to the world. This “land” is far beneath the surface area for the most part. Around Legon there are some “breaches” that the creatures venture forth from, but the one thing, with almost all of these devils and demons is they require heat, a high level of warmth. Towards the evershimmer (talked about below) it is much more likely they will roam free to a certain extent. But they do not like to travel too far from the breach to their home because of that reason.
There are people with unique abilities, granted by the “evil” god of the godplane. They are called invokers. They can invoke creatures from the underearth. Some of the creatures can be called upon within minutes, some take days and even weeks depending on where they are. The power these invokers have over these creatures is absolute. Needless to say they are some of the most powerful and dangerous people on Legon.
What is the Evershimmer?
The Evershimmer is basically; the equator of the planet. Almost the entirety of the circumference of this area is a very deep and vast ocean, other than a few strips that connect the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. Generally speaking no one from the northern hemisphere has ever been to the southern (exceptions, one in an adventure with Chance: EP#50 – Beyond The Evershimmer.
The heat that is present is unbearable, and the waters are as turbulent as one can be. From water funnels, hurricanes, typhoons, and other phenomenon; there really is no way one could set sail and make it to the southern half. Even going past the Sands of Zhor, and the strip of land connecting would be 10 day horse ride in 120 to 140 degree weather.
Twist on common D&D races
For the sake of transparency, this is just sometimes being different, just for the sake of being different. Bringing a uniqueness to the world. The following is just some of the twists on common Dungeons and Dragons 5e races. Not to mention another twist on limitations of “half” races.
– Dark Elf is called an Onyx Elf in Legon. They are a race of elves, that do not dwell under ground, they are just a race of elves that have dark skin. They have their traits, +2 to Charisma, better handle on magic and usually are very talented in regards to performing arts and art in general.
– Tiefling is called the Odius in Legon. A damned human (yes it’s the only kind) that resembles a Tiefling from D&D 5e. But they are evil, shunned, but bigger and stronger and bad-asser. It is a playable race, but there is no way it could be neutral or good. A great write up here on them: The Odius Explanation.
– There are a few others like Augustian Elves (High Elves), Wild Elves and the Thoraxian Dwarf (Tougher Mountain Dwarves). They can all be explained on the races page which I am still working on from time to time. The page can be found here: Races of Legon.
The Human female is a universal egg, meaning only Human females can give birth to mix raced babies. i.e. A male Elf and a female Human have sex, they could have a baby. If a Female Elf and a Human male have sex, they can not. The Elf and Dwarf females can only be impregnated by their own race.
The Superior Forms of Race
To continue off the twist on races, as stated above, there is a small group of people who have what we call pure blood. Unfortunately that (probably) comes (no pun intended) with incest and the like, so to not dirty the blood line. A small portion of each race that has “pure” blood. To continue the bloodlines, obviously there has to be at least two, a man and a woman. Unlike IRL, sleeping with your family does not reduce the reproductive gene pool. It is still frowned upon, but it does not hurt the generations ahead of them.
Elves
ELDERGLEEN – A pure bloodline from the common elves. Some clans barely have a few, while others have many. Generations of elves that continue to be faster, stronger, smarter and are always gorgeous. Good example is Animax’s guardian called Naya’il who is from the Vaalyun Elf Clan. Of pure blood and was chosen by Animax as the Guardian.
RENRAZZI – The pure blood of the Augustian Elves. Claimed to be the best version of any humanoid on Legon, the superior mortal beings. They are highly regarded in the Augustian realm and almost always put in a place of privilege. Barons, Dukes, council members, etc. Example in the story of Chance; is Faelyn Hilorcan, the Renrazzi Lead Hunter Elite. Not a great example because she does not want to be an aristocrat, she wants adventure and action.
There is no known types of pure blood amongst the Wild Elves.
Dwarves
THORAXIAN DWARF – Is not so much “pure blood” but decedent of a powerful race of Dwarves. Not as prominent as the above elf races, but they are taller, stronger and heartier. They usually end up commanders, or great warriors for the realm of Thorax. As time passes, the next generation gets a little less and a little less strong / fast unless they mate with another Thoraxian. Good example would be King Grim-Eye and Queen Viola. They are both descendants from the Thoraxian bloodline.
Then there are the people, mostly human, who have non-mana given gifts they can use like telekinesis, and healing.
NATURAL HEALERS – There are some born to elemental gifts that no one can really explain. Some are natural healers that can heal people with their body. Connected to the elements and concentration can heal a considerable amount of HP. Most new healers have about 36hp they can heal. ones that are more experienced can heal up to 72hp. If they heal more than half at any given time, they will pass out. Even the most gifted cannot draw and transfer that kind of power and not deal with the consequences. Good example would be Victoria or Talia from the Chance adventures.
TELEKENETICS – There are some on Legon that have a wide range of telekinetics. I will not get in depth with this, but a good example would be the Baroness Cassandra of the Adventures of Chance.
Fun sayings, twist on some real life jargon
Shit hits the horsetail – Shit hits the fan.
He is going to lose his apples – He is going to lose his shit.
He is going to toss his apples – He is going to toss his cookies.
It is now high-sun, high-moon, sunken-sun, risen-sun – Time reference “It is now noon, midnight, sunset, sunrise.”
Why in elderberries am I… – Instead of” why in hell am I…”
Copper for your thoughts – Penny for your thoughts.
Sound like a Budgiebird – Sound like a broken record.
Colder than a driders left nut – Colder than a witches tit.
Lets not count the corpses before the crows fly – Let’s not count your chickens before they hatched.
Throw them under the wagon – Throw them under the bus.
Under Royals – People with extremely high status, and prestige but is not royalty.
In for a copper, in for a gold – In for a penny, in for a pound.
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More to come as I remember them
Moons. Every unique world should have unique moons
I don’t recall a campaign that the world I was in didn’t have 2 or more moons. Legon is no different. It has three moons. It is very rare to see all three at one time because of their orbits around Legon.
ZADKEIL
The largest moon is about twice the size of earths moon, but is a good 30% farther away; it’s name is Zadkeil. It takes 2 days to orbit Legon, so you would only see it every other day. It rarely changes trajectories so it will always be in the same area of the sky. It was known as the seaman’s curse. (he-he seamans) When it is visible it is obviously very reliable on helping you understand what direction you are sailing, but the odd night it is not… it was anyones guess sometimes.
ORIASH
Is slightly smaller than earth’s moon, but a tad closer. It always seems to cross paths with Zadkeil. This moon has a consistent one day cycle. On the days Zadkeil is not there, it is much harder to see.
UNNAMED
The third one has about 20% of it “carved” out from what appears to be an asteroid hit, probably the reason why it’s cycle around Legon is so different. It is hard to see, and odd, it has yet to get a name.
What is Dark Society, Black Ward, Anicorn, Etc.
Dark Society
An order of individuals who were dedicated to the Demi-God Finster. They protected, obtained, and studied relics pertaining to the Dark Lord. They kept the lore and information “up to date” so to speak. When the time came, they were to Protect Finster’s Champion that would allow Finster to Ascend to the godplane. Finster has ascended, the Champion was protected and the order is now more a group of people. They are bit unbanded right now.
Black Ward
The Black Ward is a special forces for the Camerondale Kingdom. They are like the FBI, CIA, KGB all wrapped into a fantasy style faction. From it’s start, the Black Ward has grown from 3 agents to now roughly 125. Most of them are in house agents working in the Black Ward compound. The other 40% are “Foot Agents” and do the foot work when needed. Their divisions are Inquest, Rogue, Enforcement and Investigation.
Anicorn
A disbanded group that were organized under the Animax banner. Headed up by the late Everlee, War Cleric they were formed to “make things happen,” for lack of better terms. Many of the accomplishments of the group, included real shady dealings, terrible events and bad decisions. Rosalinda, the High Priestess of Camerondale of the time found out and quickly disbanded them and had terrible sanctions upon many of the members.
(Black) Dahlia Division
The Dahlia division is a specialized force inside the Black Ward that has only the elite of the elite. They will head up major events, projects and investigations first. This will speed up the process of organizing and banding together, etc. It was formed with Chance Axion in the middle of it due to his familiarity with things the Black Ward is not privy too. There are 5 members and they have been working together for roughly a month or two.
Areas That Have All But Been Destroyed
The Red Death
This is an area of Legon that covers roughly 25% of the southern hemisphere. It is devoid of life, has a hazy red atmosphere and the ground is like dried red clay. It is sacred to the followers of Immryllion. They believe Animax cursed the land and wants them to die. In reality it was Immryllion who used this “technique” to draw the life force of everything in that area to fuel her power to fight Animax. It actually backfired on her making her “overload” and she was defeated and cast out. Inside this area contains zealots of the fallen goddess, many make shift temples and what can only be described as grotesque golems of all shapes and sizes.
The Blackened Fields of Rarensari
A large and once powerful city that sat in between the Clovendale River and the Capital of the Onyx Elves. At the turning of the first Era, Atticus was gone and Immryllion was cast out leaving only Animax. Seeing the signs on the wall, Varow put him and a choice few into an extended slumber; drawing life force from around the city. As the decades tirn to centuries and into an Era and a half it took its toll on the area. The massive wheat fields are now blackened and devoid of almost all life.
Messenger Sparrows
They are a much larger and heartier sparrow like birds that deliver messages through out the realm. They resemble very large sparrows, usually a bit bigger than a common raven, with long legs and bigger clawed feet. They are multi colored, a blue like color under the dark feathers and the beak is yellow. They are the fastest birds on Legon, can go weeks without eating and many days without water. They can fly for 24 hours without rest and require no more than 4 hours rest after. They can fly 11 miles per hour (roughly 120 feet per round) and almost 300 miles per day. Example: A Sparrow can fly from Camerondale to Thoraxe, without rest in a little over a day. But with rest and eating / drinking it would be under two days, most likely 1.5 days.
Sparrow Scrolls
Both of their legs are utilized and some specialized Sparrows can carry things on their chest with the right apparatus attached. Each scroll is what you would be able to do for a post on Twitter. So the message you send, would be two twitter posts maximum. If it is a specialized Sparrow, he limitations are those set by the DM at that point. But it is 1 in 20 that a sparrow like that would be available.
The Lands of Vermeer
Every Kingdom has it’s own unique qualities. But the Vermeer land is somewhat different than that. It is divided into 4 areas (Provinces), North, South, East & West. The Northern Province is the largest and the unspoken ruling area or family if you like. East and West are about the same size while the South area has no real ruler as of yet. Just an overseeing Barron appointed by the provinces for the time being.
- NORTH – The ruling family is Roche. It is the largest province by far.
- WEST – Ruled by the DeConto family – It is the 2nd largest but not by much.
- EAST – Ruled by the Matheo family – It is the 3rd largest, just a bit smaller than the West.
- SOUTH – Barron is looking over the lands until they can assign a new ruling government.
By Tradition the Northern Province is the true ruling class and are afforded the titles of King, Queen, Prince, Princess, etc. The rest are Upper Class ruling entities.
More to come soon for this page on World of Legon!
