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The Beginning of the End (Dungeons and Dragons Ad)

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Agenothree
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The Beginning of the End (Dungeons and Dragons Ad)

The Beginning of the End
TW: descriptions of violence, blood, etc.

Long ago, dragons and humanoids lived as neighbors, albeit uneasy ones, though the metallic and chromatic dragons always had their minor spats, being mortal enemies. All dragons remained in their small family groups across the various mountains of Pern, content to live in relative isolation, observing the humans plow the fields and tend herdbeasts far below their cold peaks.

Finally, tensions built to boiling point, and a vicious war tore across the world of Pern, uprooting the lives of people all across the land. It was those known as the “evil ones” who had started the conflict; the chromatic dragons and the depraved lunatics that followed the horrible dragon goddess Tiamat when she called for blood.

It was clear to those who followed the path of darkness: Tiamat was the rightful ruler of Pern, and they worthy of ruling at her side as overlords. The metallic dragons had to be wiped out, for they would never submit to the one true queen.

The metallic dragons, predictably, refused to bow to evil's influence, and rose up to resist. Unfortunately, the humans of Pern were caught in the crossfire as the dragons warred high above. The losses were...staggering. Desperate and struggling, they turned to the gods for aid.

And their prayers were answered.

The deity of the metallic dragons, Bahamut the Platinum, heard the pleas of his people and delivered them their salvation. Following the signs, the humanoids evaded the conflict and travelled to the protected mountain sanctuaries of the regal and majestic metallic dragons.

The metallic dragons were expecting them.

Specifically selected humanoids "stood" for the clutches of the dragon queens, confused and frightened as they were. Miraculously, when the baby dragons hatched, they came to the humans and selected one each, forging a deep life-long bond. These were the first "Impressions" and the first dragonriders were born, destined to combat the encroaching evil.

It took Turns of hiding and careful maneuvering, but the riders and their bonded dragons matured and learned their skills, even as more selected humanoids - "Candidates", as they came to be called - Impressed and joined their ranks. Finally, they were ready to fight back.

The dragonriders - the might of dragons combined with the mind of man - exploded onto the scene, taking Tiamat and her forces by surprise. Enraged, the evil ones pushed back, but the dragonriders had had enough of this attempt at conquest. Aided by the holy Order of the Dragon and the sacred Champion Ser Barton of Benden, the rider faced Tiamat and her horde in the historic last battle - the Battle of Igen Plains.

After so much pain and death and struggle, Tiamat was struck down by the collective effort of the army that marched under Bahamut's banner, many of her followers slain in the following chaos. The rest were chased into the sea to drown, and their bones dot the bottom of the sea all the way to the edges of Ista Island, visible to this very day. The evil was vanquished! Peace, hard fought and heartily deserved, was upon them at long last!

Even after the danger was passed, the dragonriders swore to protect the people of Pern, taking the newly-penned Vow of the Dragonrider and taking up residence in the high mountain homes of their draconic partners. It took many Turns of backbreaking labor to make the hard stone truly habitable for humankind, but the framework was there, and the riders began their watch, ever vigilant, ever watchful.

The Holders and Crafters, in turn, swore to provide tithes - food, cloth, and other products - to the riders that protected them, both in gratitude for defeating the villains and out of necessity, for the dragonriders could take no time away from their patrols or the tending of their bonded partners to farm and weave.

Thus, Pern entered a new age.



Spring - 2508

The Great Dragon War was thousands of Turns ago, and far from the minds of the people. There are more pressing things for the everyday person to think about - putting food on the table for their family, raising their children, paying their tithes. The dragonriders have remained in their Weyrs - the name bestowed upon the mountainous dwellings of the dragons and their riders - ever since the wartimes, still guarding against whatever may threaten the Pernese people. The people, on the other hand, have continued to supply the riders with meat and mead, a Tradition ever constant.

Yet there have been changes, largely unseen or ignored. The Order of the Dragon, once proud and mighty, serving the god Bahamut, has declined in numbers and strength. Ever since the undead horde of 1527, the group never truly recovered from their losses in Pern's defense. Those few that remain struggle to keep their guild alive, for it seems Pern itself seeks to extinguish their light.

Other, more obvious concerns, weigh heavy on the minds of Holder and common-folk alike. The past two winters had been extraordinarily harsh, and the summers following yielding less crops - one due to drought, the other to a swarm of locusts. The people scrape by thus far, but famine is a looming threat if conditions continue as such; the food stores will not last a third cruel winter. Bellies will go empty if the situation is not remedied with great haste.

That's the least of everyone's worries. People have been...disappearing. None were people of true import before - at least to society as a whole. The past disappearances had been of people others wouldn't miss - unskilled laborers, minor field-hands, young adults from crowded families, and the like. Until now. The latest to vanish without a trace was a Holder's child - Lord Holder Vincet of Nerat's third son, Nikolas, to be exact - with many others preceding him. Who was doing this, and why had they escalated to such a high-value target so suddenly?

Questions fly around crowded common rooms, thrown about in hushed whispers. What is happening? What does it mean? Is this it? The Beginning of the End?

(Credits to the Dragonriders of Pern series goes to the amazing Anne McCaffery!)
Last edited by Agenothree on Fri May 13, 2022 8:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Agenothree
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OOC Information
  • Games will be every other Saturday from 6:15 PM CMT to 8:30 PM CMT. The first "session" will be more of a meet-and-greet, Q&A sort of thing, rather than a first full session. I always do this because it helps me understand a little bit about my players and the characters they'll be playing, and help my players understand a little more about me and the campaign they play.

  • Game days and other announcements will be displayed in the Discord server, along with various other stuff. ;)

  • I have a player limit of four (4). This is due to the current story design and the number I can handle, but I am tentatively working on raising this number with story edits. :D

  • I will not be listing trigger warnings for campaign content because I do not know for sure what the players will face as the game goes on. There are many paths to take and decisions to make, but general warnings are descriptions of violence, major bodily injury, blood, death, maybe some racism here and there. Please sign-up with caution and list what triggers you do have so I can do my best to avoid it. Oh, I also only do "fade-to-black"s for everyone's comfort, if anyone was worried about that. :)

  • A quick disclaimer. I do use pictures and music from outside sources to add life to my campaign, for I'm not comfortable getting a whole bunch of stuff commissioned. Note I am not stealing this art or music or claiming credit for them (though I wish I was half as good an artist). All art and music credits go to their original artists with lots of love and thanks from me. The same goes for names. Any similarities between people and characters are purely coincidental and will be changed accordingly.

  • I am always open to some feedback to improve the game experience for everyone. Additionally, if you feel uncomfortable, don't hesitate to DM me about it. If you have an idea for your character that's outlandish and not in the canon books, send it to me! I'd love to brainstorm with you to make the campaign more fun and interesting.

IC Information
TW: mention of racism

Races
  • There are some race limitations! Gnomes, dwarves, and halflings are all extinct, though I'll consider some exceptions. Dragonborn...I'm on the fence with them, but consider them unavailable for the time being. Humans, elves, and half-elves are the most common races to be seen, though dark elves and wood elves are less common than high elves. Dark elves and wood elves aren't considered rare; they're simply rarely seen. Most dark elves remain in the Underdark unless they're raiding or have a death wish. Wood elves enjoy privacy, tending to remain in their home Conclave in Greenwood. Tieflings are rare, but they exist. Tabaxi are uncommon, tending to travel in small nomadic groups as hunter-gatherers and traders of odds and ends. All other races (including home-brew ones that are run by me) are all up for grabs!

  • Additionally, there is some racism in this world, with the variety of people inhabiting Pern. Dark elves are hated with a passion, as drow often emerge from the Underdark to raid and pillage the surface cotholds. Tabaxai tend to be accepted, for the most part, though they are regarded with curiosity and wonder. Orcs, and half-orcs by extension, are heavily feared, and nearly reviled. They, like the drow, bring chaos and destruction, but only when their omens foretell war. Tieflings are very discriminated. They suffer quite a bit of stigmatization, simply due to their supposed "infernal heritage". Note I'm not saying your characters are supposed to be racist toward these races, nor do I expect you to be. I'm simply detailing how 90% of the human/elf/half-elf/etc. population feels about the other 10% or whatnot. You get the gist of it. ^^'

  • Additionally, when it comes to half-elves, I like to employ the specifics. What I mean is you would have some traits and appearance details related to your elven parent...which can bring one trouble if they had the "wrong" elven parent. Half-elves with a dark elf side are likely to be regarded with hatred and disgust, along with half-orcs, for being an blending of man and monster; an abomination. Something to keep in mind. ;)

    Classes
  • As for classes, there's no limits! If it's a home-brew class, please run it by me first, but I'm likely to say "yes"! In the world of Pern (this one, anyway) there are some classes that are frowned on or are less common than others. Warlocks are regarded with suspicion and dislike, especially if they are of races that are worthy of additional dislike, such as the aforementioned races of dark elves, tieflings, orcs, or half-orcs. Sorcerers are less common than wizards, but there's been an increasing number of sorcerers born as of recent Turns. ;)

    The most common classes are fighters, bards, and wizards, and many are found in Weyrs, in the form of dragonriders. Clerics and paladins are also numerous, but tend to be gathered in their holy orders or chapels. Druids are quite common too, but most dwell in the boundaries of Greenwood forest. Bards and barbarians are spread out far and wide, though the latter is less common than the former. Rogues and rangers can be found practically anywhere, but if you are actively looking for a monk, good luck. Monks practice their arts in private sanctuaries that test the mettle of adventurers seeking access to their monasteries. Artificers, while known to exist, are practically nonexistent. Those that are encountered are treated with uncertainty and a little fear, for it is they who would challenge the natural order of the world to uncover its secrets and learn more. Blood hunters are feared and shunned for their use of the forbidden magics, and are much rarer than other classes.

More information will be provided in the Discord server, or you can toss any questions my way! Thank you, and hope to see you soon!

- Agenothree
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Agenothree
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Name: (What you wish to be called or nicknames; e.g. Agenothree, Ageno, Queen)
Trigger Warnings: (Please be detailed so I know exactly what to avoid.)
Themes: (What basic themes are you comfortable with? Which do you enjoy? Examples are horror, epic fantasy, etc.)
Violence Levels: (How much violence are you OK with? Do I only imply violence, or can I describe some detail? I can get kinda violence heavy and detailed, so be aware. xD)
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Last edited by Agenothree on Wed Nov 10, 2021 8:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Ezra
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Joined: Thu Feb 21, 2019 3:13 pm

Name: Alex
Trigger Warnings: Anything involving the removal of nails, teeth and things shoved under the nails.
Themes: Generally good with anything but heavily sexual nature.
Violence Levels: Not bothered by violence much at all.
Concerns/Desires: I wanna see a good story with equal parts combat and opportunities for roleplay as well as being able to make choices that matter in the story arc. Pretty basic stuff but there you have it. ^^
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