Back Story Discussion

[Sohala]

Place to ask about the back story and such. Stromcrow will make a topic for all the back story information, this one is here to keep that one clean.

[Stormcrow]

Regions and short description as viewed by the state of white Gryhon  

White Gryphon : (the Red faction on the map) The mountains of the Northern edge surrounded by 3 sides by water there reagion is mountainous but small, there capital White Gripion is a towered city overlooking the sea, the many mages and magical creatures call the region Home for they haven made alliances with many factions such as Metallic Dragons and there worspers of Bahamut the dragoon born. As well as many clans of were wolfs , dwarfs, elves and just about any group that are willing to live by its laws. There is no one main religion for there in any city you will find one large temple with shrines to most of the Gods.  There army is made up of a small but professional force with orders of knights as well as dragon riders and well as other riders of other kind of magical beasts such as gryphons and large standing Navy, but there real weapon is in there spy networks for time and time agene the council as said that the they will not interfere with the conflicts but will not attack and will not attack in turn. So they really on teams of highly skilled operatives trained in the rolls of intelligence gathering, espionage assassination and the appropriate counters.   They are called by many as the Shadow Core Population 35% human (counting were creatures and sub races of humans)  

Mithros =(purple) A city state with a large plains in farm land with access to the sea. The Dominant relagion is that of the Shining Light of Pelor well despite all there go intention the church has taken over the government and the taken over main city of Ravens Bluff were they teach that Magic (not controlled by the church)  and Darkness is Evil (or what the high priests call evil )and must be destroyed.  There armies fall under two types the conscripts of the people with are many cases people taken form there communal farms (ran by the church) and told that they will defend their homes and that of the church itself with many Elite  warriors and well trained spell casters in its ranks. do to a  war 300 years ago  were they concurred an empire to the south and the feudal lords and their Houses remain do to this you Sameri or ninja in servous of there lords in the south can be found in raven's Bluff and do to being a tier 6 or 5 character class i am making them all gestated or give them some martial adapt class features  (sameri is a clan dependent see Oriental adventures for more details ) with the as  well all paladins are gestated with the crusader class.

Hollowfaust (teal ) the City of Necromancers in a nations strength is judged by its power in the arcan arts it is very strong, but also very mysterious, Suranded by swam and marsh land the main power group there is it’s Mages Council, the Two main religions in that area are of Nerull and Hextor. Currently they are at war with Mithros if you can call it one, Mithros sends out attacking armies will Hollowfaust destroys them and uses there dead to bolster their defence. So far Hollowfaust armies have not left their borders.

The elf kingdoms (yellow) is a collection of 6 Feudal states under one high king very little is known for they are very isolationists in their heavy wood and there true power is extremely hard to gage. But most that enter there region are never seen alive.
Dwarfs and Drow live primarily in the underground tunnel network called the under dark the Dwarfs City kingdoms have neutral standing with all factions and normally  do trade with surface kingdoms Drow on the other hand only come to the surface to raid and attack the surface there reasons and motives are unknown but also alley them self's with factions of organised crime for their own motives.

there is an large unclaimed island between the elven kingdoms and the kingdom of Mithros this is the Island of the skull  (do to a rock formation that looks like a skull of a humanoid) there is heavy unexplored do to interference of divination spells and the majority of adventures that do explore the island do not return

major organisations
Shadow Core or 1st Legion

Operates as the covert operations regiment in there army , doing intelligence  / counter , as well as assassination , sabotage and almost the equivalent to the British MI 6 or American CIA, as for how they operate how the job is done nothing is forbidden so long as there is expectable results,
in any theatre of operation there is always a spymaster running over all command of the operations and his attendant staff, then there is the agents that do the operations and sending reports to the attendant staff.
Recruitment : over all Recruitment varies for Agent to agent to agent for mages they are selected for the apprentices of the mages council and given specialist training for the types of operations  well others are recruited for the military based on  there records  

As well in cases of extreme risk of losing an agent there are specialists that are recruited for men awaiting execution and given a choice to  do the mission were they might be killed or be executed were they will be killed (review the movie the dirty dozen) note none of your characters are in this category
 
after the agent is selected  they are sent of training  at a undisclosed location you are given you first mission most cases it is just fallowing the instructions to get to you first theatre of operations

the mages guild :a Council of mages that there main focusing more in or less in the training and improving of mages in the guild but there is also the there own have an organisation with in themselves that main called the White Council at police arcane caster/psionic activity and standard of ethics . they white council only charges and brings them in, overall Council is the one to decide the overall fate of the accused as there  Juge and jurry .

dragon mark Houses / characters will be found in every regain but raven's bluff for reasons mentioned in the description (well no one likes angry mobs every time something happens ) as well most of their head quarters are either in white Raven  accept the Houses of Phiarlan and Thuranni in the elf kingdoms

[Sohala]

White Gryphon is red
Mithros is yellow
Hollowfaust is pink
Elves are teal

Right?

If so, the island looks out of place with description, some what, but if pink and teal are swapped, the war between Mithros and Hollowfaust would cross elven land.

[Stormcrow]

White Gryphon is red
Mithros is purple
Hollowfaust is  teal
Elves are Yellow

the small island wall we may yet see why it is unclamed (also it is hard to find good uninhabited areas in the world with google maps to use as a base)

[Sohala]

Hmm...Intersting, those two fight down there and leave us alone because we are behind the elves...

What type of relationship does Gryphon and the elves have?

[Stormcrow]

Rumors

There is secret organizations operating in the all the kingdoms with out there governments knowing it

Black dragon Riders have been seen in the state of hallowgast

The hallowfast Council my be all liches or other undead

Hallow fast’s Council my have struck a deal with Tiamat’s and her forces.

Some of the Lycan’s Clans my have been at one time pets of powerful Vampires.

The Skull Island my have a powerful Artifact that disrupts scanning spells and other artifacts of power worth the risk. 

[Stormcrow]

the relationship between the elfs is at times shakey do to using the dwarfs as middlemen  but there is a peace treaty that states that at mountian range no  dragion rider (or other millitary unit ) can pass the mountians an go in to the forests of the elfs do to there isolationest position of the elfs it is an uneasy peace but it is better then war the trade between the two is also done vea dwarfs being middle men as well

[Sohala]

The whole place forest or is there "open area" that people are allowed to travel thru, or are we, group that is, going to have to travel by boat to get to the other areas?

[Stormcrow]

you will find out very very soon

[Sohala]

Well I am trying to work in running away thru the elven nation into my background, cause traveling by boat might not fit...though, I guess he could have just lied his way on board...think I will do that actually.

[Sohala]

Do any of the areas have/allow slavery, if so which ones?

[archangel.arcanis]

I assume you will PM us any details we should know based on our backgrounds. I was just wondering how much my character would know about the dwarves and Underdark since i'm a DeepHalfling and lived underground much of my life. If you would rather put the info into this thread then great i just figured this would be for general knowledge.

[Stormcrow]

only the Drow have/allow slavery In Hallowfaust any dead bodey can be clamed by the state

[Sohala]

Persecution it is then.

What is the rough break down of the population of each area, race wise? That way I know which languages I need to pick.

History wise were there any great racial empires?

[Stormcrow]

sorry for no picture haveing trouble up loading one

Io’lokar,  Population 46,000

The city is devided in to five wards
The Freeward
 lower castes—the mundane servants, laborers, smiths, crafters, and clerks who keep the city going.

The Terrace
Io’lokar’s second tier is home to the city’s professional warriors and scouts, and to lower-rank spellcasters.
Most of the guides and explorers that a PC party might seek in the city can be found here. The spellcasters
of the Terrace are those whose talents keep the magic items and imbued spells of the city functioning. Magic
crafters of all stripes can be found here, and the ward is alive with artful illusions and magical entertainments
day and night.

The Sunward
The first of two tiers that wrap the mountain slope on all sides, the Sunward is home to higher-rank spellcasters, lower-grade academics, and the city’s most respected entertainers. Its cobbled streets are quieter than those of the lower tiers, but the ward’s theaters draw audiences from across the city.

The Height
This stately ward is a hub of academic and scholarly tradition, and is thus the virtual heart of Io’lokar.
The city’s four great colleges are here, as are the apartments of their wizards, , the architecture here
ref lects the soaring stone and crystalline style 

The Bastion
At the apex of the mountain, the walls of the Bastion protect the chambers and residences of Io’lokar’s

FEATURES OF THE CITY

1. The Moontowers: Jutting from the city walls like upswept spears, the thirteen Moontowers serve
as watch points and guard posts for the city . Connected to the city by great arched stairways, each
tower is ringed with dragon skulls magically embedded into the stone. The great towers
also provide landing sites for dragons. gryphons and other flying visitors, and are where any visiting dragons lodge while in the city.


2. Public Markets: Expert crafters display wares
of incomparable beauty and quality in the city’s many markets, and virtually any magic item  can be found at a crafter’s stall.

3. The Steelbenders: This loose affiliation of weapon smiths and armor smiths (typical expert 15/warrior
5/magewright 3) resembles many of the crafter and artisan enclaves of the Freeward. Its residents live in
palatial second- and third-floor apartments above well-appointed workshops whose anvils ring from morning
to night.

4. House of Life: This enclave of adepts and clerics is one of many spread throughout the city, its members
studying together and spreading well-being among their fellow citizens.

5. Union of the Spear: This citadel of brass-edged
stone is the home of Io’lokar’s far-ranging wyvern riders. militia
Spear squadrons spend their time performing aerial
reconnaissance note : most units in the army that use flying creatures normally favour gryphons or dragions

6. Necropolis Gate: For thirty generations, the
people of Io’lokar have lived and died within their city
walls. At the end of a nondescript lane, an unlocked black
onyx gate opens to a well-worn spiral staircase leading
down into the mountain.
Along miles of magically carved corridors stand the
burial chambers of the Io’lokari. Their placement follows
no pattern; old and new tombs can be found side by
side throughout the complex. No map or plan of these
caverns exists—

7. The Dragon Green: Public parks and green
spaces are spread throughout the city. In addition to
providing space for quiet refl ection and meditation,

8. Union of the Shield: This three-story fortress
of polished marble marks the headquarters of the law enforcement and keeping the peace

9. Lightstorm: This actors’ enclave is typical of
many in the Sunward—a communal place of study and
residence for the bards and illusionists whose work is
central to Io’lokar’s theatrical traditions

10. The Black Stage: The largest of Io’lokar’s
amphitheaters is known as the Black Stage for its shadowmagic
augmented performances. Music, drama, and
oratory are the cornerstones of Io’lokar cultural life, and
performances in the Terrace’s many theaters are attended
by all the folk of the city. Epic dramatic works incorporate
illusion and planar magic in their production, while
incomparable musical and oratory performances make
use of illusion and mild enchantment effects to heighten
the audience’s perceptions.

11. The Gardens: The homes of Io’lokar are
universally stocked with wondrous items that produce
hearty food and drink, and the chefs and tavern keepers
of the city take such magic beyond the sublime

12–15. The Colleges: The four great colleges
of Io’lokar represent the arcane sciences
(area 12, including arcane magic, alchemy, and
astronomy), the natural sciences (area 13, including
divine magic and biology), the conscious sciences (area
14, including psionics and psychology), and the unconscious
sciences (area 15, including history, sociology
Spaced around the Height, the four colleges are
multistoried affairs of granite and marble. Each features
a huge open courtyard at which morning and afternoon
lectures are given by resident sages

16, the citadel is where the main military and civil operations of the city are held were most of the military offices of the white gryphon have offices in the citadel

[Hallack]

Aside from "don't be evil" (or what they consider evil) is there any important social or legal differences in things here compared to Raven's Bluff?

ie... Weapons not allowed, casters must register, elves killed on sight, or other things that we should be aware of before going in?

[Stormcrow]

 

Aside from "don't be evil" (or what they consider evil) is there any important social or legal differences in things here compared to Raven's Bluff?

ie... Weapons not allowed, casters must register, elves killed on sight, or other things that we should be aware of before going in?

no this as far as rules go it is your avrage lawful nurtal city