Tales of Veterra: Heroic Stories For The End Of The World
So I've been running a dnd campaign for 9+ months now and I'm thinking about posting the recap notes somewhere other than the games discord. If I started posting them here it'd basically be a “weekly” bullet point post about what's going on in the story
ISSUES:
THE RAINBOW CITY PT 1
THE RAINBOW CITY PT. 2
THE RAINBOW CITY PT. 3
BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN PT. 1
BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN PT. 2
BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN PT. 3
BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN PT. 4
THE COMPASS OF AAROKAI (ONE SHOT)
(The obelisk of world building and character backgrounds below)
The setting is a plane in its twilight age called Veterra (subject to change) on the continent of Taereth. Veterra is an old plane, it's already had thousands of years of history, destroyed in a aeon spanning magical war. The war was decided when The Black Mage blocked out the sun and conquered the plane with their undead vampire legion. And for hundreds of years, the age of invented night erased all culture of the mortal denizens of the plane. The black mages reign was all encompassing until the daybreak rebellion- a resistance of the enslaved "livestock" humanoids empowered by the angels that would oversee veterra- overthrew the black mage, and cast their undead army into the sea.
Now, in the present day, 300 years removed from the age of night, the angels have closed the gates of Celestia on this plane, entrusting the aasimar oligarchy "The Azurious" (as well as the other descendants of the original revolutionaries) with rebuilding the world of mortals on the long dead plane.
The descendants have created a rigid capitalist monarchy in Taereth known as the Trifarion- a union of 3 city states, each with powerful ruling families that uphold the will of the Azurious clan. Magic is strictly regulated throughout Taereth, to ensure that nobody rises to power and ushers in another magic war, or another dark age.
The world outside of the city states is dense and wild, overflowing with nature spirits and strange monsters, the feywild and shadowfell are extensions of the natural world in Veterra. Nature has reclaimed most of the ruins of civilizations lost in the aeon wars.
With nature permanently imbalanced from magical warfare, and the angels of Celestia closing their gates to the plane, Veterra is truly a dying plane. Many outside entities from the outer planes- devils, demons, aberrations- all looking to claim the plane as their own. A proxy war for the plane has begun and many mortals have found themselves recruited to fight on behalf of these eldritch forces.
That's basically the overarching plot of the campaign but the story itself and its characters are much more grounded.
THE HEROES:
-Ram Calhart: A tiefling bard rancher who was exiled from their hometown by a corrupt sheriff, as they've adventured through the continent they've started having visions and premonitions from a powerful devil that owns their soul.
-Rook: A human student of magic from the capital of the Trifarion, they've abandoned their former life to live on the road to pursue their true calling, the long lost and definitely taboo path of necromancy.
-Aggamenmon: A tiefling paladin, whose power does not come from a divine source but the essence of magic that connects this world to all others. A chill Buddhist type, the spirits of Veterra have tasked them to protect the plane from powerful aberrations and far realm intruders
-Arue: An elf/dhampir druid with fractured memories. At the start of the story, Arue believed they were a regular wolf who just happened to be able to turn into a human. Arues pack leader- the wolf spirit Noronna- tasked them to join the party and infiltrate the bordering city de-foresting their home. As arue travels with the party they're gradually piecing together their fractured past. Who were they before they were a wolf? Who made them dhampir? What were they before that? What's their real name?
(Side note: it's very fun that every PC in this story is nonbinary. no gender allowed)
WHERE THEY ARE CURRENTLY:
Right now, the squad are in the city of Servek, a coastal city on the forefront of industrialization on the continent. Arue’s home the Veknylian Wilds has been the ones suffering the most under this industrial growth. The party had previously tried to make allies with the baron and change the cities infrastructure through his assistance, and thusly made enemies with the aristocracy that runs the city, when the party tried to clear out a mineshaft full of ghosts, someone tried to cave them in with explosives. They escaped the cave in through the shadowfell and resurfaced near Drach. Now they return to the city with the element of surprise as the nobles believe them to be dead.
The 3 big themes I'm working with in the campaign are Names, Dreams, and Destiny. All things that can be given to you, and designated to you, but ultimately it is up to you to define yourself, to seek your dreams, to live your life. Also the players have instigated a communist uprising in every city they've been too.
Idk, I put a lot I my brain power into this game, I'd like to make a book out of the world someday.
