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| History of Rydicia part IV; Fall of an empire | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 17 2008, 04:55 PM (279 Views) | |
| Rahu the Carver | May 17 2008, 04:55 PM Post #1 |
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Records from this period are sparse. Social and political strife lead to the recording of numerous contradictory accounts, which muddy the historical facts with personal agendas and the propaganda of the time. Furthermore, the widespread loss of life and dark deeds performed during these years left few survivors to tell the tale. What follows is the most accurate recording Rydician scholars have been able to compile. 766: The Bandit King seizes control of the Rydician Throne. The nation initially protests and rebels, but the Bandit King's enforcers from the Crescent move quickly to silence dissent. Relations between the Bandit King and the Dragon Crowned are openly hostile. However, the Bandit King is able to secure loyalty from the military and from large portions of the Drow underempire, making attempts to dethrone him futile. 767: The Bandit King seizes all funds payed into The Law of Gold, and redistributes them to his criminal associates instead of patrolling the lands of the wealthy land owners. With these funds he's also able to recruit a larger army, and buy the support of the a portion of the populace. The Dragon Crowned and wealthy land owners who pay into the Law of Gold are outraged, and many forswear their allegiance to the empire, declaring their territory independent of the Bandit King's rule. 768: The Bandit King's edicts grow greedier and greedier, as he issues tyrannical taxes and draconian punishments for those who do not or can not pay. Only his own associates and enforcers thrive as he exploits those Rydicians still loyal to the crown. Many flock to the independent fiefdoms of the Dragon Crowned, or across the Roc's Border into the Feather Fields. The leader of the Green Order, a hero of the Rydician people, Duval the Green famously challenges the Bandit King to a duel for his crown. Duval is an aged dwarven veteran of countless battles, with a long legacy as an undefeatable warrior. His famous challenge is recorded in the stone of his tomb; "You have stolen our nation through virtue of violence, and I mean to free it by the same virtue!" The Bandit King accepts the dwarf's challenge and cuts him down in full view of the royal court. Duval is buried in a hero's grave on the grounds of Castle Rydice. His death brings on a period of national mourning, during which the Bandit King consolidates his power. 769: The Rydician army marches on small settlements that have declared independence from the throne, including Foxtrot, Blacklake, and Azure Springs. The land owners who initiated the rebellions are put to death, and enforcers from the crescent are put in their place. The larger rebel settlements arm themselves for a similar attack. 770-775: The Bandit King's army is at war all across the empire. Rebel land owners fight to free the lands under imperial rule, while the king's army fights to keep rebellion down. Thousands die in the conflict, but the rebels fail to break the Bandit King's grip, and the empire remains locked in a bitter civil war. Thousands flee across the Roc's border or brave the unknown perils of the sea to escape the escalating conflict. 766: The Coming of Lux-Icoth. For three fourths of the year, the empire is wracked by thunderstorms. At the end of the ninth month a bolt of platinum lightning strikes the earth, and Lux-Icoth, the Prophet of Bahamat is born onto Rydician soil. Lux-Icoth is a man possessed of the will of Bahamat to undo the unjust rule of The Bandit King. Bahamat is the God of Justice, and Lux-Icoth is sent to restore justice to the Rydician empire by removing the Bandit King from it's throne. To carry out his task, Lux-Icoth bears many blessings from his patron God. He is blessed with the gift of prophecy, and the power to wield mighty magics in Bahamat's name. Bathed in an aura of platinum light, Lux-Icoth is seen as a savior to a nation desperate to overthrow their tyrannical ruler. 767: Lux-Icoth's fiery sermons against the Bandit King have all but turned the population into open rebellion. In every city the crowds cheer for the Prophet of Bahamat, and the king's army is forced to retreat as even the most brutal of punishments fail to break the faith of the Rydician people. By the end of the year, the Bandit King controls little beyond the walls of Castle Rydice. 768: The Siege of the Prophet. Lux-Icoth assaults Castle Rydice with a small cadre of devoted bodyguards. Bolts of platinum thunder streak the sky as the Bandit King and Lux-Icoth meet in mortal combat atop the castle walls. The Prophet of Bahamat sends the Bandit King to flight and destroys his elite guard in a night long battle. Though The Bandit King escapes justice, his regime is broken, and the rebels move into the castle. 769: The Rydician army moves to reclaim the lands given to Crescent enforcers in Foxtrot, Blacklake, and Azure Springs, but finds the Bandit King's former associates and much of the population already dead. According to terrified witnesses, The Bandit King swept through the homes of his former comrades and butchered everyone he found on the grounds. The despot then turned on anyone who stood in his path, leaving very few alive. Lux-Icoth vows to track the murderous Bandit King down, and bring him to justice for all that he has done. 770: The Bandit King's massacres continue. He leaves a trail of carnage between Sapphire Springs and Omenhoff. In the hamlets and villages between these two population centers, nothing is found alive, and no witnesses are found to recount the slaughter. Only when he arrives in Omenhoff, does the Bandit King leave a sparse few to tell the tale. These survivors, driven mad with horror, agree on very little. What they do agree on is that The Bandit King came alone, in the night, and that no amount of soldiers could stop him. Their frantic tales describe him as death incarnate, an unrelenting shadow of doom that slew all who came within reach of his white handled scythe. Lux-Icoth arrives in the devastated port city within days of the massacre, but while his powers of healing and wisdom are a great boon to the scattered survivors, the Prophet of Bahamat is unable to locate the Bandit King. As reports begin to spread of hamlets falling into a similar doom in the north, Lux-Icoth follows in hot pursuit. 778: Darkness spreads over the land as The Bandit King moves about largely unchecked, killing wherever he goes. Always Lux-Icoth is in pursuit, but the chosen of Bahamat is only ever able to tend to the survivors of the Bandit King's attacks. Worse, the victims slain by these rampages rest uneasy in their graves, and rise up to walk the land, preying on the living. The empire crumbles from within as the dead rise, and make war on the terrified living. Lux-Icoth alone is able to protect people in this dark time, but doing so prevents him from tracking the darkness to it's source. 779-784: The Bandit King at last reveals himself to credible witnesses, during a week long ritual atop the Tower of Frost, in the heart of traditionally elven lands. What is revealed is a creature that still wears the royal robes of a king, and still has the Rydician crown nailed to it's brow, but is no longer a living man. The Bandit King has become a dead thing, much like his victims, a bleached white skeleton in the finery of a ruler. Clutched in his bony grip he bears a weapon often described by his terrified victims. A scythe with a birch white haft and a blade of razor sharp jagged ice, the weapon is described by the elven witnesses as "an implement with only death of purpose." The Elves make several attempts to stop the Bandit King's ritual, but each time are repulsed from the tower by powerful undead creatures. Finally, on the seventh evening, as the elves look on in horror, the Bandit King completes his dark ritual. He sweeps his blade across the Rydician sky, and as he does it's blade seems to grow to an impossible scale. Like a scalpel it slices across the horizon, and by all accounts slices the very sun from the sky. The land plunges into Darkness, and the Direwinter, a winter without end begins. Crops wither, the land freezes, and the hungry dead prowl the darkness between cities. Those unable to flee the cursed land huddle in their homes. In the perpetual darkness, Lux-Icoth at last corners the Bandit King. However, his new unholy form is much more potent than he had ever been before, and the Prophet of Bahamat is unable to defeat him. The two battle in the pitch black sky over the fate of the empire, neither able to destroy the other, in an epic conflict that spans years and miles. Lux-Icoth is forced to retreat time and again to regain his strength, and while the holy man rests his mortal frame, the Bandit King and his ever growing army of victims prowl the land. 785: The Bandit king sweeps into Rydicia City with an army of undead in his wake. The undead tyrant's first victims are at the temple of Bahamat, but in short order he has defiled the shrines of every God worshiped by the Rydician people. The dead risen at these slaughters are some of the most powerful terrors to ever blight the land. As the people panic, The Bandit King strides into his former throne room in Castle Rydice. It is here that he has his final confrontation with Lux-Icoth. The details of the battle are poorly recorded. Few survived the battle to bear witness to history, and many of those who did were left blinded by the power Lux-Icoth called upon. What is known is that as death loomed all around, Lux-Icoth was at last able to triumph over The Bandit King. The Chosen of Bahamat channeled the wrath of the Gods and hurled his adversary screaming into The Shadowfell, there to languish with the dead for all eternity. With the banishment of The Bandit King, much of his evil was undone. The sun returned to the Rydician sky, and the Direwinter abated at last. The walking dead no longer roamed free, retreating into the ruins they had risen from, or into the no longer tame Rydician wilderness. But so much evil could not be so easily undone. The sun that shone over Lux-Icoth's victory was tepid, the air still bitter cold. Rydician nights remained darker than they should be, and the winter, when it came, was slow to release it's hold on the land, giving way to an all too brief summer. Worse the dead still walked the land, and in many places outnumbered the living. 786-886: At the insistence of his closest friends, Lux-Icoth takes the Everlasting Throne. The Chosen of Bahamat is pronounced Pharaoh by the grateful Rydician people, and swears an oath to restore the nation from the darkness invoked by The Bandit King. For the next century, Lux-Icoth uses his powers of foresight and his wisdom to guide the broken empire back together. His armies push the dead back into the feral wilderness. Priests re-sanctify the graveyards, and end the danger of undead attack from within. Where the infestation is too great, roads leading to the lost villages are torn up, leaving travelers with no path into the danger. Lux-Icoth meets several times with surviving Dragon Crowned and former wealthy land owners. With his great wisdom and generosity, he is able to convince them to rejoin the empire, and Rydicia becomes to bloom as once more commerce flows. Great feats of reconstruction are required to rebuild after so much internal strife. Lux-Icoth reignites the spark of Rydician national pride however, and the devastated populace comes together to rebuild. In the strife, may communities near the Roc's border officially joined the Dynasty of the Red Crest, the hobgoblin empire to the south. Lux-Icoth meets with Elkast Red Crest, the Chieftain of the Red Crests to restore these communities to the Rydician banner. Negotiations are extremely tense, as even the wisdom of the great Pharaoh is tested by hundreds of years of hostility with the Feather Fields. Yet, incredibly Lux-Icoth is able to negotiate a pact whereby Rydicia is able to re-absorb the lost communities in order for a tribute of gold and treasure. Even so, the restored communities are heavily guarded by the Rydician army, as the threat of hobgoblin treachery is ever present this close to their lands. So it is that for a century Lux-Icoth guides the Rydician people from the brink of destruction back into a functioning empire. His wisdom and dedication turn what could have been a steep spiral into oblivion around, and with every passing year the empire regains some of it's lost strength. And then, at the age of one hundred and twenty, at the height of Rydicia's short lived but sunny summer, the Great Pharaoh dies peacefully in his bed. Rydicia is left leaderless, as Lux-Icoth never sired an heir, and the Dragon Crowned can not agree on a course of leadership. 887-895: Interpersonal conflicts between the wealthy land owners escalate, causing many to once more succeed from the leaderless Rydician throne. With no ruler to owe allegiance to, the king's army is broken up, the loyalty of soldiers purchased by wealthy land owners. Rydicia as an empire stands on the brink of civil chaos. Elkast Red Crest orders his soldiers to annex the territories he returned to Lux-Icoth. With the army divided as such, no force can be mustered to prevent the loss of these communities. A powerful Eladrin sorceress known as The Ghaele of Frosts comes to power in the Seelie Court of the Eladrin, and her presence helps to stabilize both elves and eladrin in the empire at this difficult time. The half orc warlord Lowe settles in the desolation that used to be The Spice Marsh. His soldiers clear out the ghoul packs that have over run this area, and erect a fortress deep in the blighted marsh. Lowe renames the Spice Marsh The Lowe Fen in his own honor. Rather than try to conquer more territory however, the half orc warlord swears allegiance to the Rydician throne, and offers his soldiers protection to any citizens willing to resettle in his lands. Few accept this offer, for the Lowe Fen is a dark and haunted place, and Lowe's taxes are higher than those imposed by another other land owner in Rydicia. 897: Elkast Red Crest and his elite bodyguard meet with land owners at Boarsgate to discuss a succession into The Feather Fields. However the hobgoblin chieftain and his entourage perish in the Rydician wilds. Elkast's uncle, the shaman Drabor Red Crest assumes the mantle of leadership. 900: Rydicia stands once more on the edge of oblivion. Few land owners collect taxes, many forswear their allegiance to the throne. Hobgoblin raids along the Roc's border grow ever more common. The dark scar of the Bandit King's curse hangs heavy over the land. The empire seems doomed to fade into history, when there is a glimmer of hope. A glowing platinum rune found etched into The Everlasting Throne. It is from an old, archaic form of the common tongue long fallen into disuse. However, it's interpretation is clear, and no effort to remove it has met with success. The rune is the symbol for "Heir". According to diviners from The Tower of Fortune, the rune is a sign that Lux-Icoth did indeed sire an heir before he died. But what does this mean for Rydicia? Can the Pharaoh's heir be found? If so, would restoring Lux-Icoth's bloodline to the throne really be enough to forestall the fall of the empire? It is into this tense atmosphere, with the fate of a nation in the balance, that our heroes step. The next chapter of Rydician history, will be written by them. Thanks for reading. |
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"Our time has come. For three hundred years, we prepared. We grew stronger, while you rested, in your cradle of power, believing your people were safe, and protected. You were trusted to lead The Republic, but you were decieved, as our powers of the Dark Side have blinded you. You assumed no force could challenge you. And now, finally, we have returned. You were decieved, and now, your Republic shall fall." -Darth Angral, at the sacking of Coruscant. | |
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| Rahu the Carver | May 18 2008, 03:29 PM Post #2 |
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Updated. |
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"Our time has come. For three hundred years, we prepared. We grew stronger, while you rested, in your cradle of power, believing your people were safe, and protected. You were trusted to lead The Republic, but you were decieved, as our powers of the Dark Side have blinded you. You assumed no force could challenge you. And now, finally, we have returned. You were decieved, and now, your Republic shall fall." -Darth Angral, at the sacking of Coruscant. | |
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| bamburn | May 18 2008, 04:13 PM Post #3 |
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Field Marshal
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Really good stuff. Looks like a fun campaign to play in. |
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Current Project: Sure as hell not the Idrians, as they suck in MK II. | |
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| bamburn | May 18 2008, 04:45 PM Post #4 |
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Field Marshal
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Upon further thought, I think I have no choice but to place H1 in Northern Rydicia. Things fit to well with the history not to. And if H2, H3, P1, P2, and P3 follow the theme and story arch, it is a simple mod to place a story arch to run perfectly parallal to any "Quest for the Heir" story lines that anyone would be interested in. Those that plan on playing H1 should give Tony's History another read to get the most meaning out of the adventure. |
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Current Project: Sure as hell not the Idrians, as they suck in MK II. | |
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| Rahu the Carver | May 18 2008, 06:45 PM Post #5 |
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Alright cool if you want to. Just run it by me if you use any of the named NPCs, some of them have meta-plot issues. I'm just flattered that someone else would want to run a game in a setting I made up. |
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"Our time has come. For three hundred years, we prepared. We grew stronger, while you rested, in your cradle of power, believing your people were safe, and protected. You were trusted to lead The Republic, but you were decieved, as our powers of the Dark Side have blinded you. You assumed no force could challenge you. And now, finally, we have returned. You were decieved, and now, your Republic shall fall." -Darth Angral, at the sacking of Coruscant. | |
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| bamburn | May 18 2008, 08:25 PM Post #6 |
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Field Marshal
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I've always been a fan of running games in established worlds. I can spend less time as a DM familiarizing the players with the world around them and more on the story at hand. I think it adds to depth of the game. Plus, you have written it all out in an easily accessable place, so no one has to buy campaign books, and we don't need to worry about conflicting with other published materials like if we played in FR, Ebberon, Greyhawk, etc. |
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Current Project: Sure as hell not the Idrians, as they suck in MK II. | |
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| BillG | May 19 2008, 01:05 PM Post #7 |
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roller of ones
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Bryan, are you planning on running a 4E campaign starting with this H1? If you are, Tony can have my spot. I only want to try H1 to see how 4E is, not get involved with a campaign. That would inevitably lead me to buy at least the 4E Player's Handbook. |
| I like dice, but they don't like me. | |
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| Rahu the Carver | May 19 2008, 02:02 PM Post #8 |
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I could be mistaken, but from what I understand he was just planning to set the pre-written adventures in the setting I created. Anyway, I'm sure someone would be willing to let you use a PHB any time you needed one. |
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"Our time has come. For three hundred years, we prepared. We grew stronger, while you rested, in your cradle of power, believing your people were safe, and protected. You were trusted to lead The Republic, but you were decieved, as our powers of the Dark Side have blinded you. You assumed no force could challenge you. And now, finally, we have returned. You were decieved, and now, your Republic shall fall." -Darth Angral, at the sacking of Coruscant. | |
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| bamburn | May 19 2008, 02:54 PM Post #9 |
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Field Marshal
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My intention was to run H1 for whoever wants to play it so they can get a feel for 4th edition. I am just setting it in Tony's world so that everyone has an opportunity to read the background info. That way, when I "name drop", it has more meaning, and adds depth to the adventure. Just because it is a stand alone adventure, doesn't mean it has to be mindless hack and slash. |
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Current Project: Sure as hell not the Idrians, as they suck in MK II. | |
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| BillG | May 19 2008, 03:19 PM Post #10 |
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roller of ones
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OK, I'm in. Thanks. |
| I like dice, but they don't like me. | |
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