The Cohhilition

By popular demand; I'll be using this thread to post the comings and goings of a party of brave adventurers in a Dungeons and Dragons (5th edition) world of my own creation. In order to do that, this first post will be explaining that world. So let's get right to it...

Thousands of years ago, the world of Aravaen was much the same as our own; if magically saturated to the point of holding a charge. Once, and without warning, that charge went off and the world exploded.

Instead of being utterly obliterated, chunks of land of all sizes and kinds were thrown into the sky and held there, with their contents, atmosphere and seasons intact. These "Shards" then had the unique challenge of surviving in a world without resources. Cities quickly died away without trade or farmland, whilest idealic wilderland gave way to hearth and home. Still, the magical nature of the world forged its future and made host to all manner of weird and wonderful shards; limitless in number and potential.

On one such of these shards was a cloister of powerful magic users; who quickly came to rule, able to provide food, shelter and a great deal more for the other denizens of their orphaned home. But they lacked purpose, and quickly grew listless and... bored.

So the decision was made, perhaps as a fancy, to bring the world together once more; but a difficulty quickly arose. How does one reform a puzzle in three dimensions without knowing how many pieces one has to work with, or where they all are. As a substitute, the mages opted to simply Bridge these chunks of land and sea together with special tethers spidering out into the sky. Naming their now-home "Central"; they, and their followers, devoted their lives to forming these bridges, and to keeping this disaster from happening again.

Central quickly realized there were people; even civilizations on these other shards, and thus, to achieve their ends, swore never to mettle, save where magic was involved. But these peoples had their own aims.

The lightforged and pious peoples of Ecclesia sought to bring an end to darkness and chaos in this new frontier, quickly allying with Central and offering the swords and shields of their Arbitors - a caste of knights, forged from valour, pride, and the Light of the Twin Heavens - to the cause of unity.

The metallic dragons, also, saw the nobility of Central's goal and their mastery of the arcane; throwing in their lot for reasons not wholly understood. Dragons, after all, are ancient and mysterious entities.

So too did the technological marvels of Keros, masters of steam machines and flying ships give their aid to these mages; seeking new adventure and sources of resources for their futuristic city-state of Brass Peak.

But where there were allies, there are also enemies...

The conquering Giants of the Mountain Kingdom, seeking to subjugate all dubbed beneath them, challenge what they see as Central's rule. A claim Central is quick to deny, and, until recently; has chosen to ignore... And yet, as difficulties through time and fate strain the City of Magic, so too do stirrings of war...

The reclusive Dwarves of Orlagg, the only located kingdom amongst the shards, will have nothing to do with outsiders, despite efforts to parlay... or conquer. Recently, however, the gates opened and thousands of sick dwarves poured forth, seeking refuge wherever they could get it. Not quite an enemy, but certainly not a friend. An annoyance? Or a calculated distraction?

Lest we forget, where there are Metallic Dragons, there also are Chromatic dragons. Evil for its own sake, it seems, these ancient and terrible creatures hounds adventurers and commoners, Magisters and nobles, all. At times, even the strongest Archmages of Central fall to their fury.

And even Aravaen itself; a dangerous world when it was whole - now, a desolate place where magic runs rampant, creatures fight for strength and what limited land there is left to claim. It is often said that Aravaen seeks to punish those who causes the Calamity, and sends beast and horror to enact terrible vengeance.

Lastly, there is the Void. That which was created in the death throws of the world; the space between the Shards, an unknown and strangely malevolent force; primal and yet calculating. Intangible, untouchable... omnipotent and indestructible. Crossing between the shards forces all to face the Void and its demons; affecting their minds, hearts and bodies. If not attacking itself, then sending far greater horrors than anywhere else upon hapless travelers along Central's Bridges.

On this world, then, do journeys begin; and end. Each, an adventure of a lifetime, or several. Come along with us, ye' stout hearted and valorous! As we depart on our first crossing; into the Shards of Aravaen.

Editor's Note: Oy Vey, so many typos... Right, let's not do any more posts at 6am, Kit.... Aherm. My apologies, everyone...


But what is a game without it's players? What is a story without characters? The stage is set, come forth heroes!

Between Central and her ally of light, Ecclesia, sits the coastal shard of the Storm Isles. Here, traders ferry goods back and forth for the sake of larger shards and harsh storms prey on ship and crew alike. The tribal Almaeans, blue skinned; well muscled and proud - with vaguely feline features ((No, I don't mean like Na'avi, I haven't actually seen Avatar. More understated. cohhFail)) and a love of the water; make their home on those islands, braving sea and sky for all the bounties the Isles have to offer. Be it fish, treasure, or lore, the Almaeans are almost lords of the water... even if merfolk disagree.

To be an Almaean is to have a Saer name. Choosing someone to admire and forever binding their reputation to yours. Your greatest influence, perhaps. You live and die by your own name, and that of your Saer', thus there is unity in the tribes. Your Saer' need not know you, but all Almaeans strive for glory and strength... just incase. Do poorly in the eyes of those who call you Saer', and they may change their name. Do poorly by the reputation of your Saer' and become Adre'... Nameless. Alone.

To have a Saer' name is to be of age and thus within a caste. The highest of which are the Stormsingers. Stormsingers exist in all tribes, in one form or another (Most islands have their own tribes). These individuals are closely related to shaman, or perhaps sorcerers, offering protection for the tribe, counsel and, to some extent, knowledge or portents of the outside world, the future, or other such things. Any inhabbited island will have a Stormsinger, a chieftain, and likely a warrior caste though there are exceptions to the third.

One such island is known as 'Ihl'. Here, in honour of the 'Three Mothers', it's tribe of Almaeans have formed both a home and a coven of sorts, training the daughters of the three to protect those who have passed on and hunt those who desecrate their tombs.

Here, Ramerra Saer'Marjana dahr Ihl was born. And here, the Elders decided that their Stormsingers should be trained in Central before making the decision themselves to come return and lead, or be taken by the outside world.

Ramerra was herself magically gifted; able to call upon the storms with her own blood to strike down her foes. Central took care to teach her the ways of her tribe, (in exchange for information on the mysterious Isles of course) and she quickly came into her own under their tutelage. Lithe and agile, full of whipchord muscle and sharp eyes; Remarra quickly realized she was a skilled fighter and developed a fierce demeanor to much.

Ramerra chose to not to return to her home and thus became a Seeker. That is, one who discovers or 'Seeks' new shards, magical artifacts, or otherwise things interesting to the Central Magisterium. Upon her graduation from her training, she was approached by a mysterious dark elf; Magister Jagoth Verraine, who made her an offer behind closed doors. What does he want? And how will this affect the young Seeker's future?

Editor's Note; A Magister is the antithesis of a Seeker, in the sense that, while both are members of the Magisterium, a Magister focuses more on the people than the places and artifacts; acting as a diplomat or recruitment officer as the situation calls for.
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To know of Ecclesia is to know of it's Arbitors. And to know the Arbitors, one must know Tez'arak...

Far to the south, near a vast and magically charged desert shard of Ramal, sat the only official outpost of Central. This shallow-sea shard held a gilded city that was more university than residence. Tez'arak (the city) was devoted to identifying and studying the magical artifacts that streamed forth from the desert, as well as creating their own for use by themselves, or the Seekers that passed through.

On the other side of Tez'arak (for it only has two bridges) was Ivari; Ivari, in turn, was a vast and scarred wasteland ravaged by storms without rain. Here, nothing grew, and there was little of value. The Seekers quickly excavated a long canyon, a shelter from the storms, and a main thoroughfare to the next shard further still. It was in this canyon that they discovered it, a vast swathe of arcane crystals - a power source for magical artifacts - in greater number than they had ever seen before!

Fast forward a few decades and the canyon is nearly entirely picked clean. So much so that the Magisterium grew bolder and began pressing out over the lip of the canyon. What they found was field upon field of the same crystals; and a strange entity moving among them. Crystaline itself and quadrupedal, this creature, if it could be called that, offered no resistance to capture and was quickly returned to the city for study...

And then it happened.

No sooner did the Ivaran enter Tez'Arak than a great shriek, like the shattering of a wall of glass, ripped forth through the air. Nearly immediately, the sky grew dark and thousands of the same crystal entities plummeted into the city, morphing and mutating in proximity to one another and wreaking havoc in every direction. The city fell without a call for help; rapidly turning from a center of learning to a hive for the Ivarans.

To know Ecclesia also, is to know Ha'el.

An unfortunate reality is, once a shard is Bridged, it is rather stuck in place, anchored to the bridge which is in turn anchored to another shard. And a bridge must be formed on the near side; without exploring the new shard. Thus, occasionally, mistakes are made. Ha'el is one such mistake.

Near the Light of the Twin Heavens, the holy empire of Ecclesia, a shard appeared on the horizon; eager to bring the world together, Magister Mahjer bridged it; long, long ago...

Not only, was Ha'el desecrated to such an extent that the Arbitors' light failed them, but it was somehow filled with scores of some of the most powerful and organized undead any of them had ever seen; and bridges travel in two directions. Ecclesia quickly constructed The Bulwark, a great fortification where the Arbitors keep the Ha'elians away from Aravaen, as well as give their recruits a trial by fire; proving them heroes even in their training days.

Both of these places stain the Arbitor's history. For a singular reason.

Eleven years ago, a group of adventurers; by chance or fate, stumbled into Tez'arak and very nearly fell to the hive. But they did not, and quickly reported the disaster to the Magisterium. Now, Central is and must remain neutral. As such, they have no army to speak of. So, they called upon their allies who quickly leapt into action; calling for the Grand Fleet of Heaven's Light and declaring a High Crusade to take back the city!

The Arbitors rode in force and under fanfare; first from their own holy city, then to Central by way of passing the Bulwark; to give awe and courage to those stationed there... But something went wrong. The shards themselves move and maps must be constantly updated to reach one's destination. The Fleet passed over Ha'el instead of the Bulwark... and everything changed. In a show of arcane power that called the attention of the Archmages, and utterly dissolved the idea that the Ha'elians were mindless; a massive torrent of magical energy shot forth from the Damned Shard, absolutely obliterating the Grand Fleet.

Years later, they continue pulling bodies from the wreckage, and slowly rebuild their forces. Due to the losses, most of the Arbitors were recalled to protect Ecclesian territories; thus leaving Wards abandoned throughout Aravaen.

This has recently changed. A young golden dragon named Thau'razir had been training with the Academy of the Silver Sword to become an arbitor himself; and threw draconic pride or possibly foresight, stood before the council and demanded the Arbitors return to Light and Duty. Somehow, his words rang true and he was gifted the Salamandra, a sword of ancient fire to show the world they had not been forgotten.

Many Ecclesians agreed with the Council's decision, but pride disagreed with Thau'razir; an outsider, a non-Ecclesian; as the Herald of Return. So many arbitors, new and old, quickly volunteered for other missions. One young human, lowborn but elevated by virtue, Warrek Reyne, was among them. Arbitor Reyne took up the ancient duty of protecting the Magisterium and was assigned to Seeker Saer'Marjana; without her knowing.

How well will he perform his duties? And what will their mutual pride force them to battle over?

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Editor's Note: These are long so I'm only doing two for right now. Don't worry, there's more players than this! I can't possibly explain everything all at once, so if it seems vague and bouncy; I apologize. Hopefully things will be clearer moving forward and thanks for joining us on this adventure!

Right, so i'm bad. I just can't keep up with this, between running two games and playing another one; plus life and the general pacing of DnD i just can't keep the pace, BUT! I have a solution. If anyone is interested; you can send me a PM (i don't want to advertise on cohh's site outright); i've got 1 (possibly 2) games that could use an audience. Sorry for those of you reading along, but sometimes you have to admit your limits.