Introduction
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“''Save your tears! The dead have Wept enough.''” | “''Save your tears! The dead have Wept enough.''” | ||
| - | Imagine an empire of glorious power. An entire race of militaristic, technologically advanced people rule over the better part of a continent. They are the Feldarin and they have ruled the humans for 5 centuries. Their invasion was stuff of legend, and bloody. But they brought with them advanced metallurgy, civil engineering, superior farming, construction, art and science | + | Imagine an empire of glorious power. An entire race of militaristic, technologically advanced people rule over the better part of a continent. They are the Feldarin and they have ruled the humans for 5 centuries. Their invasion was stuff of legend, and bloody. But they brought with them advanced metallurgy, civil engineering, superior farming, construction, art and science. The humans were already divided amongst themselves by different cultures and internal wars. The Feldarin brought a semblance of unity as they spread across the lands, aided by the dwarves and halflings. The cities built by the Feldarin Empire are testaments to the power of the Feldarin: amazing churches, tall apartments, canals, paved streets, running water, golden statues, universities, amphitheaters, palaces. The gnomes from the Beneath in their vast underground kingdoms even treated with the Feldarin, to be left primarily alone in return for sharing some of their secrets of magic. They formed the universities of magic where wizards learn their skill and sorcerers practice their craft. The Feldarin ''had'' it all. Until The Weeping... |
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| + | That was not the plague's first name though. Nearly 20 years ago now a plague struck the people of the empire and killed thousands. It appeared to be treated by magical curing and subsided. The empire was recovering nicely when, a decade later, it returned, much worse than before. This time no magic could cure it. Indeed, magical efforts were rumored to make it worse, causing people near death to bleed from the eyes. It is not known for sure if magic caused this or not. Lots of causes were blamed. Now tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands died horrible, bloody deaths. But some, oh, some recovered, but not completely. They were warped by the disease, their bodies deformed. They would also continue to bleed from the eyes on occasion and were subsequently shunned by everyone they encountered. | ||
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| + | Magic also came to be shunned, and blamed for the woes of the world. The Feldarin, fearing that magic would weaken their own power within the empire if used against them, quickly tightened control over the use of magic. The gnomes retreated from the halls of learning. All known wizards and sorcerers were required to be registered and magic use substantially curtailed. Ever increasing taxes were put on items of magical nature. This only served to spawn a black market, and underground movement of spell users. They had much to fear however, for an elite hit squad was formed out of the ranks of the Feldarin military. The Watchers were formed and it proved difficult to evade their magic detecting powers. | ||
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| + | So much of the population was decimated by The Weeping that now, 5 years since the last outbreak was seen, the empire is a shadowy husk of its former glory. Whole sections of cities lay deserted, whole towns have become ghost towns, figuratively and literally. The chaos that followed the plague is barely under control and if any Feldarin lord thinks his domain is safe and secure, he is surely a fool. The Emperor himself succumbed to the Weeping Death and having no heir, has left the throne open. It is primarily up to the church to secure a new heir to the Empire, but attempts to find a suitable successor have not be fruitful. | ||
| - | + | Outside of the empire, the Weeping had its affects far and wide. Only one race mysteriously escaped the contagion, the large Giantkin. What resistance this large, docile, nomadic people of the north possess is hardly understood, but many would like to know. | |
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== The Tone of the World == | == The Tone of the World == | ||
Revision as of 00:59, 3 March 2009
“Save your tears! The dead have Wept enough.”
Imagine an empire of glorious power. An entire race of militaristic, technologically advanced people rule over the better part of a continent. They are the Feldarin and they have ruled the humans for 5 centuries. Their invasion was stuff of legend, and bloody. But they brought with them advanced metallurgy, civil engineering, superior farming, construction, art and science. The humans were already divided amongst themselves by different cultures and internal wars. The Feldarin brought a semblance of unity as they spread across the lands, aided by the dwarves and halflings. The cities built by the Feldarin Empire are testaments to the power of the Feldarin: amazing churches, tall apartments, canals, paved streets, running water, golden statues, universities, amphitheaters, palaces. The gnomes from the Beneath in their vast underground kingdoms even treated with the Feldarin, to be left primarily alone in return for sharing some of their secrets of magic. They formed the universities of magic where wizards learn their skill and sorcerers practice their craft. The Feldarin had it all. Until The Weeping...
That was not the plague's first name though. Nearly 20 years ago now a plague struck the people of the empire and killed thousands. It appeared to be treated by magical curing and subsided. The empire was recovering nicely when, a decade later, it returned, much worse than before. This time no magic could cure it. Indeed, magical efforts were rumored to make it worse, causing people near death to bleed from the eyes. It is not known for sure if magic caused this or not. Lots of causes were blamed. Now tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands died horrible, bloody deaths. But some, oh, some recovered, but not completely. They were warped by the disease, their bodies deformed. They would also continue to bleed from the eyes on occasion and were subsequently shunned by everyone they encountered.
Magic also came to be shunned, and blamed for the woes of the world. The Feldarin, fearing that magic would weaken their own power within the empire if used against them, quickly tightened control over the use of magic. The gnomes retreated from the halls of learning. All known wizards and sorcerers were required to be registered and magic use substantially curtailed. Ever increasing taxes were put on items of magical nature. This only served to spawn a black market, and underground movement of spell users. They had much to fear however, for an elite hit squad was formed out of the ranks of the Feldarin military. The Watchers were formed and it proved difficult to evade their magic detecting powers.
So much of the population was decimated by The Weeping that now, 5 years since the last outbreak was seen, the empire is a shadowy husk of its former glory. Whole sections of cities lay deserted, whole towns have become ghost towns, figuratively and literally. The chaos that followed the plague is barely under control and if any Feldarin lord thinks his domain is safe and secure, he is surely a fool. The Emperor himself succumbed to the Weeping Death and having no heir, has left the throne open. It is primarily up to the church to secure a new heir to the Empire, but attempts to find a suitable successor have not be fruitful.
Outside of the empire, the Weeping had its affects far and wide. Only one race mysteriously escaped the contagion, the large Giantkin. What resistance this large, docile, nomadic people of the north possess is hardly understood, but many would like to know.
The Tone of the World
People in the Tears of Blood campaign world have suffered great losses from the recent plague and are struggling to recover. As such, the world has a feeling of grit where day to day survival is not taken for granted, mistrust is fairly high, and the pleasures of life are things once dreamed of, now long forgotten. Even the stability of the Feldarin Empire is not what it once was and some speak of throwing down the kings of old and rising fresh and stronger out of the fetid squalor.
