Prophecy and Pain
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Dragons of Prophecy and Pain
In the Year of the Kingdom of Galifar (YK) 994, the Five Nations of Khorvaire were still at war, and had been for nearly 100 years straight. Four generations of men, women, and now constructs had been thrown into a meat grinder that seemed to have no end. Seven individuals from all across the continent, with very little in common found themselves at a crossroads not of their making. With choices that seemed to have everything, and yet nothing to do with a series of mysteries happening concurrently at the most contested border in all the Five Nations--that sliver of land where Breland, Thrane, and Cyre all come together, in a city called Vathirond.
The Last War
The Last War started in 894 YK, after the death of the last king of Galifar, Jarot ir'Wynarn. When he died, the five of his children, each already governing a region as tradition dictated were unhappy. Thalin of Thrane, Kaius I of Karrnath, and Wroann of Breland rejected the succession of Mishann of Cyre, the eldest, believing her to be weak. Wrogar of Aundair backed Mishann, and the Last War began. No one could have seen that this conflict would last as long as it did--or the price to be paid. At one point or another, each of the Five Nations except for Breland was put back on its heels and on the defensive, forcing them into decisions they never would have made normally. These decisions prompted Karrnath to embrace the religion of the Blood of Vol and use undead as shocktroops. Thrane turned from a monarchy, into a theocracy ruled by the mighty Church of the Silver Flame, whose zealous templars and powerful magic turned the tide against several different enemies. Aundair began to rely heavily on magic-wielding knights and soldiery but it's focus forced it to relinquish nearly two-thirds of its western territory to bandits and rebels. Cyre turned to its mages and the tinkers of House Cannith, the result being the inhuman constructs called warforged who replaced most of the front line troops of beleaguered Cyre.
With the internecine struggles of the various siblings and royals, the outlying territories were either forgotten or unhappy with their state of affairs and broke away, sometimes peacefully, other times with extreme violence. None of these secessions are actually a reality as of yet, however. On the 19th of the month of Olarune, at the end of winter, a strange conflagration of epic magical proportions engulfed Cyre at what might have been its most desperate moment. In it's wake, still a week later, the entire nation of Cyre has been covered in a deep grey mist. As far as anyone knows, no one survived the initial covering of the mists from what is now being called The Mourning. Many fled the borders as best they could, but the survivors amount to a few thousand, scattered here and there around the borders of what was once their homeland. The peace process promises to be long and arduous, but with the destruction of Cyre, at least the other four nations are now talking. All these talks are to be held at Thronehold, the old seat of Galifar's power on an island in the center of Scion's Sound. Rumor has it, that the separatists of each territory no longer wishing to be part of the Five Nations proper, have also sent emissaries to Thronehold for these talks.
The Peace
If there is to be a lasting peace among the Five Nations, there must be an agreement to not only end hostilities, but also what to do regarding all the separatist movements in the outlying areas of the Five Nations. And of course, what should be done with the remainder of the Cyran populace. Many are gathering at Thronehold for talks of peace, land, reparations, and even civil rights. Currently Cyre has only a single representative who would suffice by virtue of bloodline, one Lessira ir'Dalgad, twenty-third in line to the Cyran crown. Even some of her own advisors would prefer someone else, however, and one has suggested looking for the last of the Cyran Wynarn family, Oargev. Cyre will need a voice at Thronehold, and soon.
The Situation
Many things are afoot, politically, militarily, magically, even prophetically. Vathirond has become a haven for those displaced by The Mourning. Armies of Thrane, Karrnath, Breland and Cyre converged on the small war-torn city hoping for a respite from several weeks of desperate battle ending in what might be the beginnings of the apocalypse. Throw into this volatile mix of nationalist feelings, a group of Cyran refugees larger than the population of the nearby city, predatory packs of shifters who live in the abandoned parts of the city, an enormous caravan of halfling nomads, a strange clan of elves, and now rumors of lycanthropes infesting the area.
As if the mere presence of any of these factions didn't bring enough tension, disappearances of refugees and outright murder with some kind of serial intent have begun plaguing the camps outside the walls. All the factions blame one another, and tensions are beginning to affect the military camps as well. Thranite templars are looking for any kind of wrongdoing to punish. Brelish footmen are trying to prevent anything from happening to the city. Karrnathi troops are on high alert for sneak attacks as they hate the Thranish and the Brelish. Cyran refugees are caught in the middle and suffering from strange disappearances. The halfing caravan is blaming the elves for a series of murdered halflings. And the elves have been strangely silent with outsiders. House Deneith mercenaries are preventing anyone from approaching the misty remnants of Cyre, as well as trying to protect the city. Sentinel Marshals are doing their best to keep the peace, but as there are only three of them, and the population outside the city walls approaches 10,000 people--nearly three times that of the city proper--they have their hands full.
The Group
Seven people from all walks of life across Khorvaire somehow found themselves in the same region, investigating an old tower ruin south of Vathirond when The Mourning happened. After rescuing an important Brelish nobleman and his attache from mysterious inhuman kidnappers, they were asked by that same nobleman to perform a series of tasks to help keep the peace until some kind of formal treaty could be signed at Thronehold. So far the various armies have been at least talkative, though many are still wary of the others and some simply wish to continue the fight. The group was also asked to look into the disappearances, to find a source and if possible, stop it. Many missing or killed persons, many races, and seemingly several different causes have made this task difficult at best.
- Argyris "Streak" Gregorio - a Silver Flame-worshipping shifter with a pragmatic approach
- Jaleh Arzu os Merikh - a Valenar elf seeking redemption for her weakness
- Jin d'Ghallanda - an oddity of a changeling working in service to House Ghallanda
- Jurint Siabata Vornt - a remorseless Karrnathi swordsman haunted by his past--and future
- Khashara Malvakri - a young kalashtar healer fleeing her past
- Lilia Freyith - an eladrin wizard looking to make a name for herself aside from her father's
- Mikael Noriel - a half-elven professional problem solver on the run
Prophecy House Rules
These are primarily a resource for house-created material rather than a recap of mechanical stuff. I may add that in as I see fit in the future. For now, this will be items, powers, feats, etc. that I've created and will introduce in game. Expect this to be updated as the party discovers things.
- Rekkenmark Academy Tutelage is the foremost place to receive training (or birth . . .) in Feats of different types.
- Wayfinder Training Regimens is the place to find all those unusual Powers that only the most worthy and adventurous adventurers may learn
- Paragons of Prophecy is a collection of Paragon Paths uniquely suited to Eberron
- Morgrave's Private Stock will be where I fit in all the unique and wonderful items or boons the adventurers find in their travels
Additional Links
- The Game is where all the action really happens at MW.
- NPCs are the yin to the PC's yang.
- Real Estate shows where we've been . . . and occasionally where we're going.
- Party Timeline is a rough recounting of major events that have happened to the members of the party over the years with a little reference to what was going on at that time in the rest of the world.
