Thank you for agreeing to accompany me as players in my first ever DND campaign. I hope we will all have great fun (and also I really hope I will make you cry).
I want to invite you for an epic adventure taking a place all around the world. You will visit multiple countries and even continents. You will have a chance to fight, lie or charm your way out of danger, or you can choose to be the danger. It will be also your choice if you want to be a savior, or condemn others... or will the choice be ever so black and white?
The Vibe
high fantasy setting - the world is full of magic. Many people shows some magical talents, even smallest villages have some magic users.
don't expect combat-focused campaign. There will be combat, of course, but it will just one from many elements and not the biggest focus
The vibe I want to go for is heroic and high-stakes, but how light or heavy it will be - we will see. There will be some heavier topics, but it will go only as dark as everyone will agree to.
Your backstories will be connected to the campaign main plot
We will meet at least biweekly, on the same day of a week, that we will agree on together
We will use lines and veils system and everybody are going to respect that, so we can all feel comfortable and safe during the games
Collaborative worldbuilding
I have an idea for The Big Plot. Of course I will not tell you anything on that to not spoil the fun. I did not exxagerate saying it will take you around the world. And because of that, I will need your cooperation when creating the world. My assumption is that I will not be creating nations and locations that will be potentially useless. There will be some key places described below, but outside of this, I will be creating places knowing that you need them specifically. So yes, you will have the whole kingdoms created for you. How much of it will be my work and how much yours, depends on you. If you have very specific idea for your characters past endeavors and future goals, that great. If not, that also great - we will figure out stuff together. But that also means that before we start I will need enough backstory from you so I can start building on it.
Player's Goals
I wanto introduce system of goals for players, so the game can be more proactive than just reactive from your side. I would like each of you to create three or four character's goals:
Varying timeframes - think about one or two short-term goals - something you can tackle in the next few sessions; then you can think about mid-term goal, which would take more than six session; and then, if you feel like it, about long-term goal, that would span your entire character arch. It would be good if the short-term goals are the steps on the path for the mid-term or long-term goals
Goals need to be achievable and measurable - for example "getting more powerful" is not measurable
Goals will have consequences for failure - if you fall short of your goal, something will happen, depending on the goal and overall situation.
Choose for yourself goals that are fun to pursue.
Goals may be reworked and changed if you want to.
What's different
Here are some defining features or things making Meiothike different than classic dnd setting:
The Gates
The most defining part of Meiothike global society is existence of The Gates. Those are pernament portals, connecting usually between one and ten other Gates. The connections cannot be chosen or changed - they follow natural flow of arcane energy, so the Gates are built in places that potentially can have many useful connections. That also means that to travel between two points usually you need to use more than one gate, and probably need also to physically travel from one Gate to another.
Creating Gate is a difficult process taking years, lot of magic and lot of math. The process is conducted by teams of specialized wizards. It's starting with kind of magical geodesy, when the wizards are looking for a place to build The Gate, divining if specific location will result in good connections to other, existing gates, or will open the door to new, interesting places.
Gates are pernament, but needs to be activated by a wizard to actually go through. Most Gates are very stable, but some of them can be unstable for various reasons and needs extra spells or magical personel to keep them safe.
There is an organisation named Gatekeepers, that is responsible for creating and maintaining the Gates. They are independent from any goverment. In fact, they are holding lot of unofficial power because of their control over Gates. There is many treaties and international agreements about Gates, to make sure of their sovereignity. Taking control over Gate results in strong sanctions and retaliations from other countries.
Travelling through Gates is not expensive - most people can afford that, so you can see small merchant moving their carts from continent to continent, or villagers spending holidays with their family who decided to move to the other side of the world. But there is other cost to it - the gate sickness. It is similar to flu or food poisoning and usually passes after some rest. It's harder on magic users than non-magical folk and vary from person to person in general. There are no confirmed long-term side effects to gate sickness. However, crossing a second time before gate sickness passes, results in extremely strong and long fever and hallucinations, and in many cases, death.
Long-distance teleportation outside of the Gates does not exist, so some spells will be useless. Short-distance teleportation, like Misty Step for example, works as normal.
No Gods
The whole concept of gods is unknown on Meiothike. Please remember about this when creating your characters.
No Planes
There is no other planes of existence known. In contrast to gods, the concept exist, but it is merely a theory.
The Great Nothing
The map of the world covers little less than half of the globe. The other half is unnacessible, both magically (divination and such) and physically. The ocean seems to be covered in unending mist. Those who travel into it will be magically turned back, if lucky, or never go back at all, if unlucky.
Nothing weird ever comes out of there at least.
In general people are aware that world is round.
Broken Sky
There is an astronomical phenomenon called The Broken Sky. It's visible best at night - it's a belt of sky where there are no stars. During the day it can be spotted only if sun is crossing it - it's disc dissapeared when behind that space, but the sunlight is acting as normal. Same thing happens with moon. At outer reaches of the continents it is visible around 45 degrees above the horizon in the direction of Great Nothing. When closer to the center of the map it's showing lower or not at all, depending on localization. It creates a full circle on the sky.
Calendar
There is 12 months with 28 days each. Each month starts with new moon and with monday. Year has 336 days. Equinoxes are at 1. march and 1. september, solstices are at 1. june and 1. december.
Some existing locations to get you started
Dragons' Graveyard
It's an island in the middle of the known world. It looks like it was created as a result of some huge impact, with mountains bend outwards, like there were raised from the ground. Through the jagged peaks there are visible some monumentally huge dragon skeletons. It seems there is ten of them. It is possible to access the center of the island, but it's impossible to come back. There are some tunnels digged that are open into the island, but whoevers crosses the treshold dies in span of an hour for various causes. Arcane investigation has shown it's caused by a curse, but it's too alien and complicated to be understood, not even mention lifting it. One of the legends about this place says that there not a single living thing there, not even a smallest plant.
The mountains of Dragons' Graveyard are full of precious and magical gems. Curse does not include the inside of the mountains, so the gems are being mined.
The Warm Waters
Dragons' Graveyard is surrounded by a 50 km radius of extremely shallow (knee-high), warm waters, that are always calm. The weather is always sunny there and temperature is not changing during the year. Lot of underwater life in Warm Water is harvested - many of the fish or algae has strong magical or medicinal properties or are consider delicacies in various countries.
There is no drinkable water on either Dragons' Graveyard or Warm Waters and it needs to be transported there or magically created. There is one Gate - called Gate Of Warm Waters - situated 10 km from Dragons' Graveyard shoreline. There are multiple floating villages, inhabited by various races and nationalities, but main species here is Kuo-toa, although they are not so evil or mentally unstable here.
Around the Warm Waters the Inner Ocean is very very deep, infested with sea monster and extreme weather. It is possible to travel it with ship but very hard and usually deadly.
Free City of Tanit
Tanit is a main HQ of Gatekeepers and is fully governed by them. It's housing Dragon Gate - the only Gate connected to The Gate Of Warm Waters. All of the riches and magical seafood mined and harvested there needs to be transported through Tanit. It's independent from surrounding kingdom
Strivale
Dragon Gate in Tanit is highly unstable and because of that the closest Gate to connect the city with the world is located little bit south. It's called Strivale. It's a little settlement build only for the Gate - to house the personnel and to provide place for new arrivals to rest. It takes little more than half day march to get from Strivale to Tanit outskirts
City of Lunive
This city is famous for it's university, and it's university is famous for training gatekeeper wizards. It's located east of Tanit and connected with it by canal. It takes a full day of barge travel to get from one to another. Lunive is priding itself in it's fancy Gate set right in the middle of the city, but the Gate has been closed few months back and city council is being very cagey about why. Officialy, it's technical difficulties.
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