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Light of Illumis: Back end details
🕑 Added 2023-01-17 22:10:07 +0000 UTCHello there Patrons! Here are some backend details for you. We've got some screenshots of overlays, and a little bit more about the details of the campaign. The only spoilers here are details that will be revealed within the first few minutes of play, so you can read on ahead without problem.
Overlays
I really love the overlays from Embers of the Wilds, and so I've stolen elements from those. The samples here don't have character names or stats yet, since those details haven't been generated, and act as place holders. The blue column is where the dice will go. The symbol of each cleric's deity is in the circle next to where their character name will go. Pearl Riverdale is the character that Freya / Acegikmo played in Embers of the Wilds and was used as placeholder text while making the overlays.
Lichbrush was originally hired to make the overlays, but about halfway through was forced to abandon the project for unrelated reasons. I took his in-progress overlays (which he very generously let us use) and ripped them apart to decorate my frameworks. I'm a terrible artist, but Lichbrush is amazing, and I'm so grateful to have his artwork decorating our screen once again.
Campaign Details
Our party will be getting the Philosopher's Stone from a roguish ally (different story of how he got it that we won't touch on) in the city of Highcastle. They must take it to the Great Pyramid of Heatstroke on the other side of Eridon, across the Golden Sea which is infested with Undead.
Why the Pyramid of Heatstroke? It is said to be the closest point of contact between the mortal realm and the celestial sphere, the realm of gods. According to legend, this pyramid marks the first place the gods set foot upon the earth when it was brought into being, and has been the center of great divine magic throughout the ages.
You might be wondering what system we'll be using, or what level our characters will be. Surprisingly, these are the least important details for this game, and are still being worked out 2 days before play. A campaign can be ramped up or down in difficulty (level), or made to work with any system, so all the other elements were decided upon first, and then I'll be deciding which system and character level to use that fits best with the other details.
Challenges
1) The ritual to bring down holy light isn't known. The PCs must come up with such a ritual on their way, including any other materials they might need.
2) Travel isn't safe. Eridon is in a state of chaos and there are monsters and brigands everywhere.
3) A philosopher's stone emanates great magic and will attract unwanted attention.
4) Heatstroke isn't exactly a safe place right now. There may still be many demons there, the deserts is brutal, and nobody will want to go there by boat. Getting into the city is a challenge.
Impact on Arcadia
If the players want to make the world a better place, they can do it. They can forever change the way undead function on a fundamental level. The strength of the impact is unknown. Will basic skeletons burst into flames and be destroyed by just a single ray of light? Will they smoulder and burn over the course of hours while in direct sunlight? The goal is to have sunlight be cleansing, but similar to sunlight (UV light) cleansing surfaces of viruses in the real world, it may not be quite as straightforward as instant purification.
As for characters, we have Ryuzilla playing a cleric of Malkis - creator of humans and god of chaos. Humans suffer under, and as, undead, and in that way his goal is certain to be one of aid to the creations of his god. On the other hand, as the god of chaos... Anything is possible there.
Trump will be playing a cleric of Tempos, god of fate & time. He may fully join the cause under the interpretation that undead are unnatural and their true fate is death, or he may rebel and find some other use for such a powerful object. Maybe it is his fate to steal and wield the power of this stone
Greenzer will be our cleric of Felumbra, goddess of souls and holder of spirits. While it seems clear that such a cleric would want souls to rest in their proper place, undead are made when spirits are linked from their resting place to the material world. In a way, undead strengthen the link between Arcadia and the afterlife, and a corrupt cleric of Felumbra may wish to wield such powers for himself.
A philosopher's stone is a powerful tool. We'll see how they will use it.
gl hf
Koibu
Comments
Koibu
Very shortly after ToS. Exact timing is still up in the air, but within a year of it ending, perhaps as soon as a few weeks.
Hayk Saakian
Looking forward to seeing this on Thursday. Hope to find out where this fits into the overall timeline of the world, relative to other campaigns.
