A brief introduction to Empire City.

The story of the worlds, both Old and New.

    Who are you? Truly, Empire City is a melting pot of cultures, technologies, ideologies, ethnicities, philosophies, economies and hearts. Where in previous seasons we sought to tell coming to America stories, this season we are telling the end of a war. A city of revolutionaries pitted against the tyranny of the crown. This is where the theme of the game is “No one wants to lose what they have.” Everything is on the line. Everyone has a part to play when you know that tomorrow the world might end.   The Old world (Everything in the Eastern Hemisphere of real world geography) is the domain of Divine Magic. All Gods great and small have dominion over their land, their people and their religions. There is no escape from the impact this has on daily life in the Old World. The God’s feed on the faith and offerings of their devoted. Each of them embodying a different aspect of life, or championing their many conflicting causes.   The New world (Everything in the Western Hemisphere of real world geography) is the home of Arcane magic. While Arcane magic is used around the world, it is pristine and unfettered by the will of the Gods of the Old World. Leylines carry Arcane magic from its source in Arcania to all other locations in the world. And this causes a subtle pull on all spell casters to journey to its source. The search for the point of origin for the nexus of all arcane magical power is called the search for the NorthWest Passage, and is the obsession of many Wizards, Sorcerers and other types of Arcane Casters.   Religon:   As to the specific gods, our game concerns many pantheons of gods, including our Gods of the Round Table and their dominion of England. Other countries may be referenced, but for the time being this is an unwritten blank space for you to apply your imagination and research. The writing that exists in the game pulls from a wide variety of folklore (from the huldufolk of Icelandic Myth, to the Myths and legends of the Hermetic faiths that point to Egypt as their fictional backdrop. In other cases, our DM’s have free reign to use any assets (including pantheons) that are published by WOTC in their game crafting and lore that pertains to the stories they tell. Because we are writing collectively, the lore of Arcania can be amorphous and fluid at times. Speak to your DM about any ideas you might have about where your Character might be from, and what sort of folklore you may wish to adapt.       The Barrier and it's effects.   The first colony (Season 1, Roanoke) was bereft of Paladins or Clerics, their divinity was not able to pass into the New world. The Second colony (Season 2 Roanoke) saw the fall of the barrier and the beginning of an invasion of divine and infernal powers. The third and final shift (Season 3 Roanoke) seems to have allowed only neutral gods to enter Arcania.   Arcanian Culture and the Wardens.   In D&D terms, the most powerful creatures in Arcania would have the power equivalent of Exarchs (A creature between a god and a demigod.) There are four Wardens of the New World (of the Continent Arcania) Columbia, Cascadia, Fontaine And Oro who tirelessly defend their own ideals, but who make no demands of those they protect invoke no religions. Unlike gods, they do not consume faith. Instead they draw power from the ley lines of Arcania.   Before the refugees of the wars of the Old World arrived to seek asylum on it’s shores, the Arcanian culture was and is thriving. Their advanced knowledge of magic combined with the ingenuity of the old world has created a new renaissance of technology and arcane invention. Airships, rail, constructs, and more wonders besides have bloomed rapidly all along the eastern coast of Arcania. England was allowed to govern and support those who wished to flee the old world. And the Government of the Nations of Arcania chose not to take sides in the political woes and unrest in England’s Sanctuary Territories. The game takes place in the North East of Arcania. This is the seat of the Warden Our Lady of Columbia.     Roanoke. (Previous seasons.) Over the course of 150 years, 3 separate colonies have existed on this island. It is the magical engine which powers the barrier between the Old world and the New. Legends tell of the cannibals, cryptids, heroes and monsters that flocked to the island. Some were drawn to defend it. Others were drawn to consume it. In the end it held its mysteries. After the first two colonies were abandoned, the third and final colony is too, nowhere to be found. In truth, the island itself seems to have completely disappeared.

The War: "Our war of revolution was evenly matched against our Monarchal oppressors. But our shores comprised the theater of war. Four times previous our capitals have fallen, and we have scrambled to fortify the lesser cities of the middle colonies. Upon seeing New Amsterdam our leader, that beloved hero George Washington said “surely this is the seat of the Arcanian Empire.”. And so Empire City was born. The last great refuge and strong hold in the north. A shining city on the Hudson, the city teams with life resting assured that Fort Washington which sits at the mouth of the Hudson on Governors island stands between us and King George." -Ben Franklin   With the Neutral Gods fleeing to Arcania in the wake of Croatoan's Defeat (Roanoke Season 3's BBEG) and wars between the Good Gods and the Evil Gods of the old world wrecking havoc upon the old world, many of our player characters will come from families that sought to avoid those wars. England's pantheon was the largest machine of war, stretching around the world pressing millions into service of The God-King Arthur and his crusade against evil. The Mortal King George has been tasked with pressing the Arcanian colonies into service, but has found them unwilling to give money through taxation with out representation, nor to send their sons and daughters off to a war they had fled. Instead the Arcanian colonies rebelled. And this is the story of the last moments of that revolution. The last battle, The battle of Empire City.