Some time ago, (a very,
very long time ago, in fact), I ran a series of games called the Dungeon of Bvan'Telvarth. Via self-inflicted wounds I ended up with a game series that I could not maintain. After much consideration and brainstorming, I have come up with a new game idea, the
Citadel of Bvan'Telvarth. Without further ado, here it is.
Near the center of the great continent of Helath and surrounded by primeval forests is a ancient volcano. This volcano has been carved into a citadel without equal, the sides cut into smooth planes and the edge of the caldera atop the mountain turned into vast walls. Within this caldera that is warded from attackers by magic, rests a city crafted by the alien minds of the fey. Lush vegetation grows within and produces fruit and vegetables year round, even when not tended. Lakes well up from nothing and spill down the sides of the caldera, meandering down carefully designed pathways. Streets wind through the caldera, seemingly without purpose, but all lead to the center of the caldera. There, glittering within a vast crystal, is the palace of Tyrenial Bvan'Telvarth, an ancient lord of the fey whose people vanished overnight.
From this palace flows forth such great power that none can harm the mountain, nor can entry to the palace be achieved by even the most powerful of beings. Yet in front of the gates is set a simple plinth, upon which is set a message in the sylvan tongue. Within the depths of the ever-changing Citadel rests the Lord's blade. To whomsoever claims his sword alone will the power and possessions of Lord Bvan'Telvarth go.
Upon finding this message, the three great powers of Helath forged a treaty. These three were Phindarous, Dragon Emperor of the Flametower Empire, Queen Alysarin, High Angel of the Shimmerdawn Kingdom, and Varthak the Tyrant, Demon Lord of the Hellsmouth Dominion. Each powerful beyond measure, they were nonetheless close enough in power that any of the three that moved too soon would be set upon by the others and destroyed. So the Citadel was deemed neutral ground, and the three powers each encouraged their servants to enter the Citadel, for the first whom gained the power of the ancient lord and citadel would tip the balance of power in all the realms.
This was a century ago, and things have settled down since the first rush of adventurers entered the Citadel. Monsters, guardians, and traps lie in wait within, and the dungeon changes seemingly from one moment to the next, though the path an explorer takes stays the same until they leave the dungeon. Many adventurers have returned with immense wealth, and its been learned that the dungeon empowers the gods to more easily save their worshipers, returning them to their temples above when they are on the verge of death, within limits. Few hold any hope of gaining anything more than wealth and fame within the Citadel anymore, but even that is a great attraction to many.
Playable races are two types each of 0-HD angels and demons, the typical dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, halflings, humans, an alternate drow race, and a dragonblooded template that can be applied to all but the angels and demons. The new races will be listed in the Character Creation thread.
These games will be solo threads inside the dungeon, and I will allow a maximum of 2 players inside a single dungeon of the Citadel at a time. Fortunately, the Citadel was created by a fey lord, so even if you use the same entrance within 10 minutes of each other, you won't end up in the same dungeon unless you want to be.
Conversely, I will be putting up several 'public' threads for the city above for various districts. Any PC can interact with any others inside these threads, and may control most NPCs within reason.
I am also removing Lawful and Chaotic as alignments, and adjustments to account for this will be in the Character Creation thread. I would put more here, but I'm still in the process of building the Character Creation thread, so it will be going up later, and you should refer to it for most questions. Warning: I have dramatically altered Spell Resistance, and monsters should NOT be expected to be the same as in the core rules! I will be altering many, MANY things about monsters!
For combats, we can either play it out in the thread, or try to get onto IM at the same time and run through the combat there and post a summary of what happened. I personally feel that the latter is better for giving a cinematic feel to the game without getting too bogged down by the vagarities of the system.
As forewarning, while sexual encounters may occur in this game, it is not going to be the rule of the day. Additionally, your characters can die permanently. It's difficult, for the most part, but possible. In warning, the three nations involved in Bvan'Telvarth are strictly caste-based systems, and using any ability at all to pose as a member of a higher caste outside of the dungeon is guaranteed to get your character executed by drawing and quartering if you're caught. This is the easiest way to die permanently, and if you somehow get yourself raised from the dead, they will repeat the process, and this time soul bind you to make certain it sticks. I am not joking.
- I am more easily worn out by games than I was a few years ago. Thus, the most often I will promise a response is once a week. I will try to reply every day or so, but I can't promise that. If I'm hitting writer's block, I will PM you.
- If you have questions, ask! I am not a mind-reader!
- I have no intention of letting anyone get the Sword within the Citadel! It'd pretty well end the campaign, and I don't want to do that.
- The game is in the Extreme Forum, however...it likely won't come up. Unless you get yourself executed.
If, in spite of my oddities, players are interested, post here or PM me to let me know. ^_^
Character Creation ThreadSetting Information Thread
