Venit Lumen
A thousand years after the Godswar, humanity is just beginning to
claw its way out of the ashes. Ruins dot the world, strange fell beasts prowl
the untamed wilderness, and the twisted descendants of elementals carve out
empires.
It is a world teetering on the edge of darkness, fearful and
superstitious. Thousands starve as greedy City-States hoard wealth. The gods,
defeated and banished against their will by the Darkness during the Godswar have
yet to make a reappearance.
The Crystal Sphere, a massive structure that has shed its light
for millennia, has begun to darken, the four beams of light that connect the
Power Crystals, its sources of pure elemental energy, flicker and wane.
Magic, once the lifeblood of the world, is faltering. Powerful
spellcasters are dying or going mad. The magocracy of Teran Gard has vanished,
replaced by a roiling sphere of azure fire.
The earth rots, fire burns out of control, along the coast; winds
cease to blow, and fresh water becomes poison to humans and animals alike. The
Crystal Sphere’s light dies, and the world dies with it.
Paran: A City-State teeming with a hundred thousand citizens and the refugees of Damar. Allied with the Tengu of the north, and a constant enemy of the Sahuagin of the Inner Sea, Paran is one disaster away from vanishing into history.
Damar: This
City-State was once a center of light, home of the Church of Healing, until the
city was assailed and conquered by the Vampire Arcanist Kellar Janarth. Now the
City lies in shadow, vampires and their spawn haunt the streets, and any living
being that steps into the streets is hunted.
Galadiel: An
emerald city, the home of the elves is beautiful to behold. Deep within an
ancient forest, it inspires hopes and songs.
Malus: This
City-State has enslaved by aboleth and other horrors that began showing up when
the Crystal Sphere started to die. The people here have become… changed.
Crae: The City of
Light. Beneath its joyous streets, bathed in crystalline light, are ancient
ruins from an empire older than all of recorded history.
Curum: This
City-State sits on the edge of the Ignas Wastes, bathed in the heat of the Fire
Crystal. Obsidian buildings comprise this city, it is ruled by an Ifrit
Sorcerer.
Giren: The Forest
Kingdom. This kingdom is unique in the entire known world, as instead of a
ruling council, it is led by a family of monarchs, descending from the First
King, Gire. It is a goodly realm, ruled
by a fair hand, and guided by the Church of Light in all things.
Velus: This
City-State is governed by a council of sages, those left over from the
magocracy of Teran Gard. It is a city seeped in arcane might, with running
water, plumbing, and automated defenses.
Terris: A
City-State built into the Mountains, this majority Dwarven city is keeper of
the Earth Crystal. The mines beneath Terris run deep, perhaps too deep, but the
City-State’s wealth is astronomical.
Ibis: A Crystal
flare decimated all life in this once prosperous city three years ago. The streets
and buildings have melted, and shadows were burned onto their sides. Strange
creatures roam the streets now, made of light and shadow.
Teran Gard: Once
the seat of an empire based on arcane magic and philosophy, it vanished a
decade ago, replaced by a sphere of azure fire. It was at this time that the
plight with the Crystal Sphere was discovered. Whether or not these are related
is unknown, but most people in the western City-States have begun to blame
magic and its use for the current strife.
The Doom of Teran
Gard:
Ten years ago, the magocracy of Teran Gard vanished,
replaced by a sphere of roiling azure flame, this much is known. What is not
known is the how or the why. Thirteen years ago, the Magelord Alisasta Demir
began receiving visions from the Crystal Sphere, visions that foretold its
doom, as well as the destruction of the magocracy itself.
She became obsessed with the visions, and a way to prevent
these future events. Eventually, when there did not seem to be any way to stop
the visions from coming true, she went to the ruling council, and a spell was
devised to shift the city away from the material plane to another.
They failed. Instead of arriving in another material plane,
they materialized onto the Plane of Shadow, where they were besieged by the
shadowkin, malevolent beings that feed off of light and magic. Though the mages
fought valiantly, it was a losing struggle. Due to the temporal differences
between the two planes, they have been fighting six hundred years to keep their
city alive. The planar fabric has changed the survivors, twisting them into
beings much like the shadowkin. They aim to return to the material plane and
conquer it, to drain the light from the Crystal Sphere, thus fulfilling
Alisasta’s visions.
They are infiltrating the present time and leaching off of
the Crystalline light, causing and hastening the death of the Crystal Sphere.
Thus was caused the doom of Teran Gard, and the doom of the
Crystal Sphere and of the World.
Shadowkin: Beings
immersed in the power of the Plane of Shadow, they develop traits of that dark
place over generations.
Creating a Shadowkin
Creature:
CR: Same as base
creature +1
Alignment: Any (usually evil)
Ability Scores: The base creature gains a +2 profane bonus to Dexterity or Intelligence. (This begins to fade seven days outside of the Plane of the Shadow to a +1, and to a +0 after ten days outside of the Plane of Shadow)
Senses: As the base creature plus darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision
Defensive Abilities: A shadowkin gains damage reduction and resistance to cold and electricity based on its hit dice.
Hit Dice 1-4 Resistance: 5. DR: -
Hit Dice 5-10 Resistance: 10. DR: 5
Hit Dice 11+ Resistance: 15. DR: 10
Shadow Blend: In any illumination other than bright light, the shadowkin blends into the shadows giving it concealment (20% miss chance). A shadowkin can suspend or resume this ability as a free action
Shadow Affinity: A shadowkin that can also cast arcane spells is treated as casting a spell one spell slot higher when casting spells with the shadow descriptor.
Light Leach: As a standard action, the shadowkin can draw the light from a room of normal light to bright light into itself, decreasing the light from the room by one step, temporarily gaining 2d6 extra hit points that lasts a number of rounds equal to its hit dice. Also, as a standard action, it can release this light as a deadly beam that deals 2d6 fire damage. They can use this ability (in either form) three times per long rest.
Alignment: Any (usually evil)
Ability Scores: The base creature gains a +2 profane bonus to Dexterity or Intelligence. (This begins to fade seven days outside of the Plane of the Shadow to a +1, and to a +0 after ten days outside of the Plane of Shadow)
Senses: As the base creature plus darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision
Defensive Abilities: A shadowkin gains damage reduction and resistance to cold and electricity based on its hit dice.
Hit Dice 1-4 Resistance: 5. DR: -
Hit Dice 5-10 Resistance: 10. DR: 5
Hit Dice 11+ Resistance: 15. DR: 10
Shadow Blend: In any illumination other than bright light, the shadowkin blends into the shadows giving it concealment (20% miss chance). A shadowkin can suspend or resume this ability as a free action
Shadow Affinity: A shadowkin that can also cast arcane spells is treated as casting a spell one spell slot higher when casting spells with the shadow descriptor.
Light Leach: As a standard action, the shadowkin can draw the light from a room of normal light to bright light into itself, decreasing the light from the room by one step, temporarily gaining 2d6 extra hit points that lasts a number of rounds equal to its hit dice. Also, as a standard action, it can release this light as a deadly beam that deals 2d6 fire damage. They can use this ability (in either form) three times per long rest.
Clerics/Divine
Spellcasters:
Seeing as there are no gods left on this world, clerics are
strictly domain-based. There are Churches, but they are worshipping ideals. The
Church of Healing and the Church of Light both worship the Crystal Sphere.
Elemental Clerics (those worshipping Fire, Earth, Air, and
Water) are numerous, especially in the areas near the Elemental Power Crystals.
The Crystal Sphere:
The Crystal Sphere is a sentient artifact that acts as the
sun for this world. Millennia ago, it crashed into a dark world, dragging along
the ancestors of the modern populace through rifts in the planar fabric. Its
origins are unknown, but it is ancient and powerful. The gods were brought to the
Crystal Sphere like moths to a flame, but so too was the darkness.
The Gods:
The Crystal Sphere brought with it gods of light and good. For
centuries, they worked to bring their followers to the world. The world soon
teemed with humans, halflings, gnomes, dragonborn, elves, and the like, bathing
in the goodness and beauty that is the Crystal Sphere. This changed when the
Darkness came. The Darkness in its hunger and its rage devoured the gods, and
began corrupting their followers.
The Darkness:
Soon after the Crystal Sphere crashed into the world,
shining its light through the skies, creating mountains and seas with its
impact, the darkness formed and gained sentience, inhabiting the spaces of the
world where the Crystal Sphere’s light did not shine. From it, hateful, twisted
creatures were spawned. Terrors from dying suns were summoned. An empire of
horror was created. The Crystal Sphere destroyed the heart of the Darkness, but
its damage had been done. These creatures still exist, and their influence is
vile. The City-State of Malus has been conquered by the descendants of this
Darkness.
