Cimmerian Timeline Part 21

Mister Ed Dungeons and Dragons, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Previous: Cimmerian Timeline Part 20

One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post was the necessity of a separate Dwarven kingdom in the Dominarie Mountains. This kingdom will be wiped out by a Hobgoblin invasion later on in my campaign world’s history. I forgot about it because the kingdom doesn’t exist in the “present” (~400BCE).

1046BCE: A red dragon named Kenderax attacked Fangaroot along with thousands of Kobold soldiers. Kenderax incinerated Karnafaust and most of the royal family in the initial attack. Without leadership the Dwarves were unable to organize an effective defense against the draconic invasion. Fangaroot was abandoned and the Dwarven population fled to the south along the Black River.
While going downriver on a raft, Karnafaust’s sister-in-law gave birth to a son named Cogard. Cogard was the nephew of Karnafaust and heir to the throne.

1045BCE: The Dwarven refugees established a camp on the location that would eventually be Dalleer. Cogard was obviously too young to rule so a group of Dwarven elders formed a council to govern the dispossessed.

1044BCE: The Dwarven people quickly realized the ineffectual leadership of the Dwarven Council would not save them or revive their culture. Thousands of Dwarves left the refugee camp to settle in smaller communities across Cimmeria.

1042BCE: A group of Dwarves settled in Zeus’s Canvas in loosely linked communities structured around rigid social structure with theocratic leadership.

1039BCE: Dwarven settlements spring up all along the Terror Mountains. These Dwarves paid homage to their dragon leaders with Human sacrifices.

1035BCE: The loose theocratic organization of the Zeus’s Canvas Dwarves was not well-suited for everyone. A significant group of Dwarves led by a Dwarven woman named Shortrastor headed south. They formed a new kingdom in the Dominarie Mountains with Shortrastor as their queen.

1024BCE: Many Dwarves were upset by the sacrifice of sentient life in the Terror Mountain Dwarf communities. Unfortunately, their status as draconic subjects meant leaving could be a short and lethal endeavor. To escape the dragons a group of Dwarves went into the Underdark where the dragons could not follow. In the deep earth they made a life for themselves.

996BCE: King Cogard turned 50 and came of age. He was coronated, but the Dwarven council did not relinquish governmental control to their designated sovereign.

-GoCorral

Next: Cimmerian Timeline Part 22

Desires for Dwarven Schism

Mister Ed Dungeons and Dragons, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Next up in my writing about Cimmeria is to describe what the Dwarves were up to and what led to the schism between the four Dwarven subraces.

First up, what have I already written about the Dwarves in Cimmeria?

King Karnafaust left the Conclave – 1102BCE
Founded Fangaroot – 1101BCE
War with Conclave – 1097BCE
War ended with single combat between Karnafaust and Drolofo. Drolofo won. – 1092BCE
Resurrection Pact with Hades made and Karnafaust returned to life – 1091BCE
Cooperation with the Conclave in war with Goblins- 1087BCE to 1084BCE
Karnafaust killed by Kinderax. Fangaroot abandoned. – 1046BCE

My plan was that after the Dragon War there would be a king named Cogard. I already wrote that part in with Toffoun’s After the Dragon War post.

Toffoun makes the Fierce Axe of Dwarvish Lords for King Cogard, an item I copied over from the basic Greyhawk D&D setting to my campaign.

King Cogard’s death would lead to the loss of the Fierce Axe and a succession crisis between his four sons. This crisis would result in the Dwarven Schism.

But that’s after the Dragon War. I’ve got over 150 years of history inbetween that point. I need a bad king before Cogard takes the throne. Continue reading →

Cimmerian Timeline Part 20

Mister Ed Dungeons and Dragons, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This should wrap up the dating of the After The Dragon War posts. Next up I’ll be plotting out what I want from the Dwarven Schism.

Previous: Cimmerian Timeline Part 19

877BCE: Tentineh himself was responsible for constructing the defenses of five Dragon Orbs. He designed a floating superstructure to house the Orbs, but this massive construct would require more magical ability than Tentineh nor any of the other Heroes possessed. Tentineh began searching in the dark places of the world for the energy required to bring his vision to life.
Bigby retired to the woods of his childhood. He married and had children.

876BCE: Tentineh found a font of energy that he could use for his superstructure. He freed the Dahak from its ancient prison beneath the Greshen Volcano. In gratitude the Dahak promised to aid Tentineh in his endeavors. The two worked in concert to create a floating city. A gigantic edifice spanning for miles built on the upturned bottom of the Dahak’s volcano and four other lava-filled mountains.

875BCE: An enormous amount of power was required to keep Tentineh’s superstructure afloat. Tentineh began manufacturing over a dozen artifacts with untold powers. Upon completion he connected them to the volcano quintet. Additionally, the Dahak bound omnielementals to the volcanoes. A minor version of the elemental planes swirled and formed between the lava tubes.

863BCE: Tentineh placed the artifacts he’d created within his superstructure. He used the five Dragon Orbs entrusted to him to power the structure as well. Red, Green, Black, White, and Silver would power the city, one within each of the volcanoes.

862BCE: Still more power was needed for the superstructure so Tentineh ripped the raw life from the Greshen Valley and poured it into the floating city. This greedy act created Spheres of Annihilation throughout the Valley. These black holes roamed the land, erasing everything they touched.

861BCE: Tentineh’s superstructure was completed. He bequeathed the construction to the people of Greshen Valley. It would be a new home for them. A floating city that would protect, feed, and shelter Tentineh’s people for all time. In time this city would be known as Greshendale.
The grand wizard gave the leadership of this city to a council composed of his children and his apprentices. Tentineh would not rule the city. He prepared to enter eternal slumber.

-GoCorral

Next: Cimmerian Timeline Part 21

Cimmerian Timeline Part 19

Mister Ed Dungeons and Dragons, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Previous: Cimmerian Timeline Part 18

876BCE: Shratalanda traveled to the Shacklack Desert and began building a psionically charged castle in the sand.
Danar returned to Sheerzen and resumed his duties as king. He married multiple women to solidify his position within the aristocracy of Sheerzen. He ruled well and established a just society for his people.

873BCE: Shratalanda completed her castle in the Shacklack Desert. She sent out a telepathic call to all the psions of Cimmeria telling them to come to her castle for training in the craft of psionic magic.

872BCE: Psions from across Cimmeria arrived at Shratalanda’s school for instruction. She taught them all the disciplines of psionic magic. The school was a success. More and more students continued to arrive.

870BCE: Shratalanda’s school grew beyond her ability to manage. To ensure the continuance of her school, Shratalanda trained her first class of students to pass on their learning to others. Over the years a heirarchy based on talent and public acclaim decided who were the teachers of the school and who were the students.

855BCE: Danar left Sheerzen to sleep and await the breaking of the Red Orb. He left the same system of succession that guided his ascension for his progeny. There could be only one heir. All others must be sterilized or executed.

834BCE: Satisfied with her work on her school, Shratalanda retired to her slumber. She slept, only to be awakened by the breaking of the Brass Orb of Dragonkind.

-GoCorral

Next: Cimmerian Timeline Part 20

Cimmerian Timeline Part 18

Mister Ed Dungeons and Dragons , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Previous: Cimmerian Timeline Part 17

882BCE: Toffoun joined the royal court of the newly crowned High King of the Dwarves, Cogard. Amalgami and Jovy went with Toffoun.

879BCE: Amalgami left the Dwarven royal court to assist with the construction of defenses for the Dragon Orbs.
Jovy left the Dwarven royal court as he’d worn out his welcome with the nobles. He gambled and won too often. He slept around with too many nobles’ wives and daughters. He got into too many drunken fights.
Jovy returned to his ship that he’d moored on the eastern coast of the Caspian. He was surprised to find a community had sprung up around his ship, viewing it as a sacred artifact of the Dragon War. Jovy took pleasure in their adoration and resumed his title as King of the Caspian. The town that had grown around the Mira Miro was dubbed Lordodo. King Jovy ruled over his subjects, judged their legal cases, made policy, protected them, and took tribute.

865BCE: Amalgami visited his child in Phoenix. His son was now 48 and had lived most of her life without him. The meeting between the prodigal Dragon War Hero and his progeny did not go well. Amalgami left for his hibernation without the resolution that he desired. He would reawaken when the Copper Orb was destroyed.

861BCE: Tentineh told Captain Jovy that the time had come to retire from his life of luxury. Jovy agreed to go into hibernation in one year’s time. The pirate captain took the Mira Miro on one last pleasure cruise through Those Blast Islands.

860BCE: Jovy returned the Mira Miro to the town, Lordodo, where he had ruled the Caspian Sea for the last two decades. He joined Tentineh in hibernation to protect the Dragon Orbs, leaving behind many illegitimate children. Jovy would reawaken when the Gold Orb was destroyed. Tentineh would reawaken when the Silver Orb was destroyed.

859BCE: In Jovy’s absence Lordodo was ruled by the captains of various ships that docked there. These captains formed the Navigator’s Guild. They met in the Mira Miro and dispensed law from the beached relic.

-GoCorral

Next: Cimmerian Timeline Part 19

Cimmerian Timeline Part 17

Mister Ed Dungeons and Dragons , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Previous: Cimmerian Timeline Part 16

882BCE: Gorwinua’s wild nature made her unsuited for helping to construct the Orbs’ defenses. She began writing an epic poem that detailed the Heroes’ exploits during the Dragon War.
As work on the defenses for the Dragon Orbs continued, Tentineh and realized that no matter how well-constructed their protections were, they would eventually be breached. Tentineh suggested a solution. Each of the Heroes of the Dragon War would bind his or her soul to one of the Orbs. When the Orb was broken, that Hero would be returned to life, ready to fight the dragons once again. The other Heroes approved of the idea and Tentineh began designing the complicated spell that would put each of the Heroes in stasis when they were ready to “die.” In this stasis each would await the breaking of the Orb their soul protected.

Continue reading →

After the Dragon War: Bigby

Mister Ed Dungeons and Dragons, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

When the Dragon War ended, Bigby was 103, still young for an elf. He helped the other Heroes to design defenses for the Dragon Orbs. After twenty years most of them had moved on into the stasis. All the other Heroes could only be awakened by the destruction of the Orbs of Dragonkind. Bigby and Toffoun were all that was left.

Bigby was happy to retire to the forest that grew to bear his name. He lived for dozens of years supporting himself by teaching his magic to the Elves of his homeland and any others who wished to learn. Romantic relationships came and went, lasting for years or decades and then dissolving amicably as is the way of the Elves. Bigby had three children and played an active role in their upbringing. The outside world was not without conflict, but Bigby stayed apart. He had seen and done enough during the Dragon War.

When Toffoun retired, the dwarf took one last trip to see Bigby. The two reminisced about their times together. The visit was what Bigby needed to say goodbye to the world. He made his farewells to his family, his friends, his children, and the places he knew. After all was finished Bigby was the last to enter the Dragon Orb slumber.

-GoCorral

Next up I’ll be turning each of these After the Dragon War articles into timelines. After that I’d like to explore the Dwarven Kingdom a bit more. I’ve laid the foundations with Toffoun, Cogard, and the Fierce Axe. Just gotta hammer out the specifics.

After the Dragon War: Danar and Tentineh

Mister Ed Dungeons and Dragons, Writing , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Danar lived on after the end of the Dragon War, doing many good deeds. He was 63 but as a draconic descendant he had not aged. He assisted with the construction of the defenses for the Orbs of Dragonkind before returning to Sheerzen to rule his reclaimed kingdom. Danar married more than once, becoming a polygamous king. He ruled well for twenty years, establishing a just society for his people as he had before in the swamp that bears his name. The same system of succession for his progeny. There could be only one heir. All others must be sterilized or executed.

After twenty years of rule, Tentineh came to Danar. The old wizard was entering his slumber and asked Danar to join him. Danar got his affairs in order then entered suspended animation with the other Heroes of the Dragon War. He would only be reawakened by the destruction of the Red Dragon Orb. Continue reading →

Main difference of 4E D&D from 3.5

Mister Ed Dungeons and Dragons , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’ve started DMing a little bit of 4E D&D.

4E is commonly reviled by fans of other editions as not being “real D&D.” There are good reasons for that. 4E changed a lot of things about how the previous editions worked and 5th edition was largely a reversion of those changes.

One of the biggest changes was making every class function in essentially the same way.

In 3.5 and previous editions, every class had subsystems in the rules for how their specific abilities were used and how those abilities progressed as your character got stronger. Those subsystems varied from extremely simple (fighters and rogues) to extremely complex (wizards and clerics).

That variation in complexity came along with a variation in power. At higher levels fighters are still doing pretty much the same thing and aren’t nearly as useful as they used to be at low levels. Meanwhile wizards can now summon a protective warrior that’s about as strong as his fighter friend and still have plenty of magic left over for whatever they want to do.

The problem is usually referred to as “linear fighters and quadratic wizards.” Continue reading →

Moving on From 3.5 Edition

Mister Ed Dungeons and Dragons , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

4E D&D

Now that my long-running Xorian Wars campaign has concluded, what next?

I’ve been playing D&D 3.5 edition for more than a decade. I like the system, but I feel like its taken me as far as it can go.

If D&D were like any other product I’d say, “It’s time for an upgrade!” but pen-and-paper roleplaying games aren’t really like that.

Choosing a roleplaying system has more to do with personal preference than something being newer and having a larger number slapped on the cover. Continue reading →