Argus, the Great City @fromdmwithlove - Tumblr Blog

My Setting

Now it is important to note here that the ending setting of my campaign is a massive city called Argus, (like in the description) but after a few failed attempts I have decided it might be best to not start there. This is because if you have a super huge city chocked full of stuff players might feel squished, like there is no real place for them, and while a major theme of my setting is carving out a place for yourself in the world I have decided to start them off somewhere else.

This somewhere else is Fantasy Age’s starting zone known as Highfalls Swale, a wondrous small area involving 3 small towns in a valley with lots of natural plot hooks and room advice on adding more. Now the one issue is that Fantasy Age is not 5e like my game, to make it fit I edited the starting adventure slightly to bring it into 5th edition, changing around the starting monsters to keep Challenge rating in check. Then I put it into a world of my own creation known now as Scurn. (Made it up just now because I have never had to name the world of Argus) Upon editing the starting zone into 5e I then was faced with a new question, do I want to edit 5e. the answer for me is yes and my edits will be detailed later but it is important to note that I just did these edits for my own sake, I don’t like the base story of dragonborns and orcs so I changed them any other DM might change them differently but it’s my game so F off.

With my base edits in check I wrote up my second handout, a small briefing on my setting, its history, and the epic level conflicts in it. (example law v. chaos, good v. evil, cats v. dogs)

My Setting

In the beginning there was Empt a being made of nothing and yet everything. This being dreamed and from its dreams came the gods. 5 gods, one of law, one of chaos, one of light, one of dark, and one who stood alone. These gods would go on to feud and bicker and from them would come 4 children, but these petty battles in the nothingness that was Empt would grow boring so they would forge a new thing to play out their games. Thus spawned the multiverse and the gods would go on to compete in thousands of ways from who could build the best plain to who could raise the greatest races. This spirit of competition would shape the world as each race strives to prove its worth to its creators and to carve out a place for itself in their creation.

This theme of competitiveness holds a major chord in the setting and hopefully the story. Your characters aren’t becoming adventurers like Frodo, compelled because it is the right thing and they are the only ones who can do it, you are becoming adventurers because it is cool, because you want to be remembered. You will start in a small area where you strive to do amazing things and learn your powers but as you travel farther and farther from the isle of Dunmara you will find things grow stranger and harder. Argus looms as a great mountain that compels you to reach its peak, not because you have some ring that you need to destroy there but because few others have and you want to prove you can do the same, that you can do it better.

As far as the setting’s history most will be told to you in game, what your characters do know is the history of Highfalls Swale. This history began 500 years ago in a time known as the Age of Exploration where the continent of Ramara was settled in mass. In this time legendary heroes arose and laid their claim on the world. One of these heroes was the sorceress Dunmara, a noble human woman who found the valley that would become known as Swale and built her tower as a secluded sanctuary. Her willingness to protect others would bring settlers to the valley who would look up to here as commonfolk would look up to a revered monarch, but in time she would disappear mysteriously leaving the ruins of her tower behind on the island that bore her name. After her though would come the Knights of the Tor, founded by the last of Dunmara’s chosen 400 years ago the Knights of the Tor would dedicate themselves to the defense of Highfalls Swale. These ideals would eventually bring them outside of the Swale and they would enter the political areas of lands well removed, an action that would bring about their downfall. Just 150 years ago the Knights would be struck down when they angered the grand theocrat of Highhaven. This holyman would declare them anathema and bring about what would become known as the Adrigal Crusade to see them destroyed. So armies came to Swale and laid siege upon the Torkeep That was many years ago though and since then the valley has calmed down but in the absence of Dunmara and the Tor Knights darker forces lurk in the shadows eager to overtake the citizens of Highfalls Swale.

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Argus, the Great City