Probably a little fuzzy (even from the writer's perspective). After all - no one's died yet. And I don't forsee any of them dying anytime soon either so there's no need to go into any further details beyond "It's a Bad Thing" at the moment. At least no need for this book.
Ortho: The Beginnings
Fri, 2006-01-13 12:29
#153
Ortho: The Beginnings
Sat, 2006-01-14 15:03
#154
Ortho: The Beginnings
Nice addition to the mythology...Keep it fuzzy with hints in the DM's Dark section...
Kwint
Sat, 2006-01-14 20:26
#155
Ortho: The Beginnings
It was a hundred years into the First Harmony, during the reign of Composer Julhien the Reformer, that cracks in the relationship between the devotees of the Nine and those of the Seven began to widen.
Up to then the priests of both the Seven and the Nine had coexisted relatively peacefully, a representative of each standing on each side of the Composer acting as advocate for mercy or prosecutor of the weak. Julhien was a man, however, of Ideas, and he was content to let few things simply stand without examination.
The government of Ortho in Julhien's time consisted primarily of the Composer, who was head of the Harmonium; the Pontificator of the Lords of Law, the Pontificator of the Seven, and the Pontificator of the Nine, who together represented the official religions of Ortho; and representatives of the four quarters of the world. Together, these eight people made up the Octave Council. Each of the four Quarters ruled over a measure of Ortho's 17 provinces, the Composer controlled the military, and the Pontificators controlled the churches.
Julhien changed this balance, expanding the power of the Composer far beyond what it had ever been before. To Julhien, who saw everything in military terms, everything could be seen as in some way under military jurisdiction. Schools, hospitals, roads, ports, temples: everything had some military value and posed some military threat. He began slowly at first, posting military "advisors" in schools and churches, but within five years he had taken most public organizations over in all but name. Then he turned to the process of reforming them.
He was not alone in his ambitions, of course. Movers and shakers within all the departments of the Council quickly realized Julhien's power and sought to take advantage of it. Engineers came to him with plans for better roads, scholars came with plans for better schools, doctors came with plans for better hospitals, sailors came with plans for better ships and ports, and clerics came with plans for better churches. And, naturally, most of these plans contradicted one another.
Julhien soon tired of the clamorous supplicants. Citing the words of an ancient Iirondian philosopher, he declared that Harmony could never be acheived amidst contradiction. The strategy that had served Ortho for the past 100 years, since the reign of Composer Angelus the Even-Handed - the idea that truth could be found by reconciling conflicting views - he called poison and the seed of civil war. "As there can only be one truth," he said, "Only one mouth can speak it. Only one hand can execute it. Oneness comes only from oneness; multiplicity only leads to division."
To make his point, Julhien unilaterally banished the Pontificator of the Nine from the Octave Council. For the Council, who had watched with growing unease as the Composer slowly usurped all of their authority, this was the last straw. Quite a lot of power can be claimed in the name of security, but dismissing one of his own was something a Councilor may not do, even one of Julhien's charisma. If the Pontificator of the Nine could lose his station, any of them could. Of the Councilors, only the Pontificator of the Seven remained at Julhien's side.
In the name of the gods of Law, the remaining two Pontificators urged soldiers to defect from Julhien's army, and began to form an army of their own made up of clerics and layfolk of the various churches. This had a very real effect on military morale, as the Pontificator of the Seven lacked the confidence of some two thirds of the troops. Yet the discipline of Julhien's military was such that most of the soldiers remained even with the threat of a loss of clerical magic and a place in the afterlife.
Undeterred, the Four Quarters stirred up revolts in the more rebellious provinces, promising better conditions than they had felt under Julhien's rule. Then the civil war began in earnest.
Iathra, Voll, Kelmen, and Heka stood unapologetically with Julhien and the Seven. Thaera, the Isles, Motmurk, Ruko, and Hazhkan joined the other Councilors; regardless of how they felt about the Council or the Lords of the Nine, they were eager to rebel against the military, who represented the Harmonium authority to them as nothing else did.
Other provinces, such as Iironda, were torn in half. The Province of the Isles was torn between the mainland region of Verinshen and the chaotic isles themselves, while Three-Rivers and the whole South of Motmurk were similarly torn, brother against brother and sister against sister.
For the first time in a hundred years Ortho was plunged into war. For five long years Julhien's hardheaded troops fought pirates, clerics, and guerillas in places believed long since pacified.
More than four years into the fighting, a group of sorcerers from Heka met with prominent leaders and merchants of Northern Thaera, Han, and elsewhere in the beholder capital of Coldash. The beholders had mostly stayed out of the war; though one of the Four Quarters was a beholder, the war was still seen in the province of Keln'in as a human, orcish, and dwarven affair. But the conflict had gone on long enough, the beholders felt, and many others agreed. Together they drafted a proposal and delivered it to the leaders of both warring parties. With soldiers of both camps beginning to rebel due to dwindling supplies and general weariness, the generals agreed to discuss terms. After months of negotiations, the treaty was signed.
The terms were these: henceforth, planar lords were not to be worshipped by citizens of the Harmonium (who included, under the treaty, all of Ortho), except as intermediaries for the "true gods." Both the Pontificator of the Seven and the Pontificator of the Nine were to lose their positions in the Octave Council; these Pontificators, in exchange, would be given new positions as the newly created Councilor of Education and Councilor of Public Health and Safety. In this way the civilian power of the Composer would be checked, but religion on Ortho would be undivided, resting under the authority of a single High Pontificator.
For the rebel provinces, this compromise solved none of the problems they had with the Harmonium military, but nobody asked them what they thought and they were too tired of fighting to continue warring against the now united military, religious, and provincial leaders.
Julhien continued to rule as Composer for another twenty years, and though his authority was more limited than before he made the most of it. While he continued to push for reforms at every level, the foremost acheivement of his later years was institutionalizing the philosophy of oneness, which would become the central ethic of the Harmonium in the centuries to come.
Has this fine bit of history been added to the pdf?...
Kwint
Sat, 2006-01-14 21:52
#156
Ortho: The Beginnings
I revised the history section a little to fit better with Chapter 3 of the PS3e, and to add a little more detail:
Realization
Harmonium –30 to Harmonium 0, the Founding
Prince Romhel, the founder of the Harmonium, grew into his rank in this time, which is reckoned from the date of his birth. He was a knight of noble blood dedicated to all the Lords of Law in an abstract sense. Under his leadership he formed the original Knights of Harmony which consisted of his closest allies and friends.
Jhary of Heka, a wizard of great renown. He was formally a member of the order of the Keepers of Balance, the Ninth Cabal. They were attacked by forces from without and within and as the sore survivor of the attack, Jhary turned to advocating Order. Throughout his time serving with the Knights Jhary concealed his true alignment. Though he truly was dedicated to law, his personal inclinations were too selfish to be called anything but evil.
Anju, a monk from the islands of Pan Thaera. She led a slave rebellion of her own island to win her people freedom. She was a great believer in personal discipline conquering all.
Mogranhu, an elven druid and priestess from the northern lands who believed in harmony between civilization and nature. Now primarily remembered as the inspiration for an ornamental garden in the capital city, her actual beliefs have been twisted to serve the needs of civilization.
These four adventurers formed the basis of the Knights of Harmony, forging a destiny that few would have guessed would have the wide ranging effect that it did. Their goal at first was a simple one, "to rid the country of Chaos and bring peace to the land." Many adventurers aspire to similar schemes, but unlike most adventurers, the Knights of Harmony actually succeeded. They defeated each of the warlords and monsters who had been feuding since the death of the previous king and installed Romhel on the throne of Voll. And once they’d brought peace and harmony to that country, they set out to do the same to other countries. And after those, still more.
The ascension of Romhel to the throne of Voll is celebrated today as the Founding, and is considered to be the Harmonium's true beginning.
The Expansion
The Founding to Harmonium 100
The Expansion marked the initial drive of Romhel and his Knights to forge alliances to drive back the Abyssal Lord Alzrius and the Lords of Chaos.
Iathra was the first trouble to be dealt with. A temporary alliance with the Empire of Thaera, and the orcs of Mormurk brought an end to the ambitions of Alzrius in regards to Ortho. At first, the conquered Iathran lands were shared between the newly allied states of Motmurk and Voll.
With peace established in the north and west, the newly created Harmonium order was able to concentrate on defeating the Empire of Pan Thaera to the south, which had never been especially unified anyway. They were weakened after holding their side of the battle with Iathra, and their worship of the Lords of Chaos was something the Harmonium could no longer allow to continue. There was worry that Alzrius or something of a similar nature would attempt to use that worship as a base to invade the weakened world. Pan Thaera crumpled under the dual military assault.
The last truly disgraceful evil that Prince Romhel felt needed to be removed, to assure the peace his Knights sought were the elves southeast of the Flamedance Mountains. They had long been a thorn in the side of both Pan Thaera and Han the Gem-Studded, and were known for their acts of cruelty. An alliance was forged with the nearby, and lawful, beholder nations and the elves were soon pacified. This particular war lasted decades and anti-elven sentiment rose worldwide until the war expanded to include cordoning all elves into camps for reeducation. Even those with partial elven blood found themselves unwelcome at the height of the war.
The Knights had become quite famous, legends in their own time, and so they began to exert their political power. As they, with their allies, vanquished evil after evil, the kings of Ortho swore allegiance to them. Wherever a king would not pledge himself, the Knights found a noble that would, and supported their claim to the throne.
It was hard work, and sometimes the Knights even found themselves fighting others that were good and lawful. Romhel was saddened by these misunderstandings; how could two peoples, both essentially good and lawful, fight each other over what in the end were small details? It seemed to the Knights that only when a people were united could they ever truly be at peace, and they wanted the peace on Ortho to last, even after their time had passed. But how could they ensure that the countries of their world wouldn’t squabble and fight among themselves ever again?
In time the Knights of Harmony united all of the planet, even the so-called “monster races” such as the beholders, under one banner, and a new kind of government was formed so that the peace they created would last forever. This government they called the Harmonium. To them it was more than a government; it was an institution whose foremost function was the resolution of disputes by means of a strong and robust chain of command. When Prince Romhel became the first Composer of the newly dubbed city of Harmony's Glory south of Keln'in, he decreed that no lawful god should be set above any other, just as no lawful citizen should be set above any other. Furthermore, he decreed that the religious and military powers would work hand in hand with the governors of the world to ensure the harmony they created would be perfect for everyone, whether they knew it or not.
The other nations were assimilated more or less peacefully in the next few centuries, though individual ethnic areas occasionally rebelled. Anju's island ironically rebelled most often, despite the Harmonium's liberal use of the hero's name and creed. The rebels used her name, too, for the opposite purpose, though eventually they lost. The druid-led nomads of the north also resisted for a long time. The ancient empire ruled by the city-state Han embraced the war against the elves and found the Harmonium ideals easily adaptable to its bureaucratic religion and often obscure philosophical notions. Much of their culture became incorporated into elements of the Harmonium creed today.
Sat, 2006-01-14 22:09
#157
Ortho: The Beginnings
I had more ideas, including the name of the mercane trading cartel and the first experimental Harmonium spelljammer, but I've forgotten them.
I found where I wrote them down. This is what I wrote before:
Year of Harmony 392. The mercane Iscirus of the cartel known as the Ring gains an audience with Ortho's council and offers to sell spelljamming technology. The council accepts.
Year of Harmony 393. The first Harmonium spelljammer, the Consensus, makes an expedition to the nearest planet. They return, reporting that the world in uninhabitable.
Year of Harmony 394. The Consensus makes an expedition to the next closest planet. Which also seems uninhabitable.
Year of Harmony 395. At last, the Consensus finds an inhabitable planet and forms a small research colony on it.
...which is pretty basic, but that's all I have so far.
Sat, 2006-01-14 22:27
#158
Ortho: The Beginnings
And I'll get the PS3E to update to match the dates in the Factol's Manifesto...
Sat, 2006-01-14 22:30
#159
Ortho: The Beginnings
Year of Harmony 392. The mercane Iscirus of the cartel known as the Ring gains an audience with Ortho's council and offers to sell spelljamming technology. The council accepts
Although I notice Gerzel has Intagril introducing spelljamming to the Harmonium.
Well, that's no problem. Intagril had it first, but Ortho still needed to contact the mercane to get helms of their own. We should probably push my dates back earlier, though, as I think Gerzel's history would have spelljammers being used in the War of Iron.
Sat, 2006-01-14 23:46
#160
Ortho: The Beginnings
Year of Harmony 392. The mercane Iscirus of the cartel known as the Ring gains an audience with Ortho's council and offers to sell spelljamming technology. The council accepts
Although I notice Gerzel has Intagril introducing spelljamming to the Harmonium.
Well, that's no problem. Intagril had it first, but Ortho still needed to contact the mercane to get helms of their own. We should probably push my dates back earlier, though, as I think Gerzel's history would have spelljammers being used in the War of Iron.
Yes. Basically during the cold war both sides were researching and looking into spell jamming technologies. They might even have made strides towards producing their own lesser versions, at least enough to get the mercane's attention to sell them some helms. Still spelljamming is one of those things that the Integral government held back when telling Ortho what they had which is more to the point.
Partly this is a mirror of the Soviet/US spacerace.
Thu, 2006-01-19 12:16
#161
Ortho: The Beginnings
Didairdin, Lord of Discipline
The Ironhanded, Separator of the Chaff
Greater Deity
Symbol: A sword crossed with a sheaf of grain
Home Plane:
Alignment: Lawful Good
Portfolio: Military, Agriculture, Children. Formally the god of war.
Worshipers: soldiers, farmers, teachers, midwives
Cleric Alignments: LG, LN, NG
Domains:
Favored Weapon: “Might’s Power” (longsword)
Didairdin is the god of agriculture and protector of the weak of Ortho. He is one of the most powerful members of the Lords of order, matching that of R. and S. He is a father figure of a god, watching over those under his care with a firm hand and strong defense. Of all the gods he is the one likely to punish a crime with a wrath unmatched even by any of the Lords of Chaos. In the faces of victims of such crimes he often finds the face of his own wife, so his fury is only heightened. However, he will also truly forgive those who commit a crime yet truly regret and atone for their actions. He is guilt ridden and repentant for his own actions in the past, and keeps his sword “Might’s Power” an artifact of his time as the god of war close to him to keep himself from ever forgetting his own crimes.
The temple of Didairdin is populated by priests who often are also experts in some aspect of providing, caring, or protecting the weak around them. A priest may also have skills as a healer or midwife, as a farmer or expert carpenter, or even as a soldier versed in defending small villages from dangerous surroundings. The church is very proactive in its mission to protect and provide, and can often be found in the less developed areas of Ortho where they are most needed. Much of the Church’s current attention is turned westward to Iathara or the outskirts of Thaera.
The temple does not deny the violence of its god’s past nor the practical use of armed violence in life. However, like their god they consider crimes committed even on the battle filed inexcusable. And will punish those crimes to the fullest extent under the law. This makes the temple guards, paladins and knights some of the most ethical troops from Ortho when they are in battle. They will strictly follow a standard that respects the citizenry and bystanders of any area they are in, and will push any allied troops to the same level of discipline and restraint.
The temple holds seasonal festivals centered around the patterns of planting and harvest. The largest occurs late in fall when the food is plenty, and is considered a last big festival to celebrate a good crop before the surplus of food is rationed for the winter. This festival often sees families gather for feasts, children gathered to tour the village to visit extended family and neighbors, and parties that last from sunrise to sunrise of the next day when belts must be tightened for the coming winter.
Once a year the temple will hold a much more somber festival on the Equinox of Winter. This is a period when the adults of a temples are will go to the temple to privately light candles for each of their sins committed over the year. This is the time for atonement and regret. This ceremony is only offered to children over the age of twelve, and adults as those younger are considered too young to truly understand the concepts involved. This festival coincides with the yearly anniversary of the first meeting of Didairdin and his wife Alae.
The third largest celebration comes at the Equinox of Summer. This is a fertility and marriage festival as a celebration of the marriage of Didairdin and Alae. Aside from parties, lovers games, and general merriment this is also the time for worshippers of Didairdin to offer forgiveness to others for their actions against them. This celebration is often used as a date to sign peace treaties or resolve long-standing conflicts, often with the support of the temple of Alae.
History/Relationships:
Didairdin used to be the god of war in the pantheon. In fact, he used to be a decidedly less kind and gentle entity. While still lawful, his actions were anything but good. He gloried in war, blood, violence and death. He led his army of mortal worshippers across continents destroying their enemies as they came across them. As a god of war he had little concern for strategy other than how it would aid him in defeating the next enemy.
All this changed in the height of winter when he led his troops through a forest in the high hills of the western lands. It was then that he met Alae, a mortal woman who stood in helpless defiance of his trained troops with little more than a dagger to her hand and a houseful of younger siblings to protect. Didairdin committed that night the crime that he has never forgiven himself for, taking Alae by force and razing her home to the ground. When morning came and the silent lady in his bed simply bowed her head expecting the worst, something within the god broke. He took his army home that day and did not march for a year and a day afterwards.
Didairdin only came to the field when he became aware of another army, this one a mortal army with the goal of simply obtaining the lands that his own army had shattered. This army was approaching once again the high hills where he remembered the woman he hurt before lived. It was then that the guilt that had eaten at his belly for the past year turned into something more resolved. His army marched again on the high hills, this time to protect the inhabitants against the coming assault. In this war he found Alae again and gifted her with part of his own essence as a god, securing her, and the twins he found with her, against any further assaults by mortal or god alike. The children would later grow into the gods, T and N respectively. Centuries would pass as he turned himself, and his clergy from experts in war into experts in protection.
To his lingering regret, one of his own children would later join the Lords of Chaos, acting against him. He still feels this failure in his own child is a punishment for his crimes.
Dogma:
In peace, your job is to provide. In war, your job is to protect. When in war, if you leave the homes intact, the people unharmed, the walls in place and your enemies swiftly eliminated you will win the hearts of the people as much as their lands. A crime in battle is still a crime. Never forget your own trespasses, atone for them. Control yourself and you will be able to control your surroundings.
Deity entry...
Thu, 2006-01-19 12:35
#162
Ortho: The Beginnings
In the beginning, there was Order and there was Chaos. And where the two mingled there arose Spirit, Flesh, and Truth. These were the forbearers, parents to our gods.
In those times long past, before the Lords of Order or Chaos even existed, and before the Pantheons split, the Oldest of the gods were born. Out of Flesh and Spirit were conceived Didairdin – god of war and aggression, and Kibajij – god of trickery. Out of Spirit and Truth was born Rialondru – god of heirachy. Out of Flesh and Truth was born Olinem – god of love and blind trust. These four are the oldest of the gods of Ortho.
After they were born, Truth abandoned the now populated world, leaving the newborn gods to their devices. Rialondru took upon himself an apprentice, Iathiphos the Scribe to record the history of their family and learn at his feet. Kibajij took to his pranks and trickeries, indulging in shape shifting and pretending to be who he was not. He soon discovered the joys and dangers of tricking others in such a way when he deceived Olinem into believing he (Kibajij) was a woman, and soon after Jislana and Lanimin were born. Their parents vowed to never repeat the experience or speak of it again.
Didairdin found Alae on the battlefield – a mortal woman desperately defending her homestead against his troops. He took her to bed by force producing Tyerusus, and Namaneil as offspring. Guilt and regret for his actions led him to sever a part of his godly essence to heal the woman he so wronged, and for centuries he repented – in doing so finding his own salvation. Jislana, until now dancing in silence, found her movements set to rhythm by the music of a mortal Baelae. She shared her godly powers with him, setting him at her side in her performances before the pantheon.
And it was then that the goddess Saeduenical was born of Flesh and Spirit. The last born, and the only born without the light of Truth to welcome her to the world and banish darkness from her eyes. It was she who found the heat of fire in the hidden depths of the earth, and brought it to her home in the pantheon, locking it behind gates of wood and iron to keep it for herself. Kibajij saw her claim fire from the earth and knew the world was cold through and through without it. He snuck into her home, stealing it to give it to the mortals of the world. When she discovered the theft she knew the thief was the Fox, for the tip of his tail was singed black. Instead of bringing it to the attention of the family though, she turned a trick upon the trickster and stole a place in his bed with a magical draught. From this union were born Chal – goddess of ruin, and Ghanalim – god of murder, and she assigned the two to guard her home.
With this, Order and Chaos began to churn in displeasure – this crime committed amongst their own children repulsed Flesh and Spirit and both fled, following on the heels of Truth. Order and Chaos divided, repulsed by each other and demanded the same of their grandchildren. The arguments were fierce and swiftly turned to bloodshed. The Pantheon divided – The Lords of Chaos and the Lords of Order broke apart, building high walls between each other to prevent their enemies from peering in upon them.
After the family divided, the god of war turned to raising his children, and the goddess of martyrs turned to finding peace with others as well as herself. With the gentle mediation of Ina, a newcomer to the Lords of Order, the two were reconciled as Didairdin had long ago fallen in love with the quiet strength of Alae and a third child was born. Nothing is known of this child save that it was surrendered to Ina after birth, to be protected and raised.
- The Incarnate Records, held by the Temple of Iathiphos
I give Kibajij a lot to do in this writeup, I'm going to think of some other things for the others as well too though.
Ok...now I have a question... was it Ina or Alae who becomes the forbidden goddess? Or niether of them, which means I have to start writing up a bit on the Forbidden Goddess that fits in with the rest of what was written.
Please let me know, so I can get to work on this. I just don't see so far where the Forbidden Goddess fits in yet, hence why it has taken me so long with those plotlines.
-Ophelia
Thu, 2006-01-19 15:28
#163
Ortho: The Beginnings
A Few Historically Oriented Q's-
On the Gods:
According to the pdf, there are "Gods who are no longer remembered since the Lords of Law and Chaos consumed the world in their war"...My question is when did the LofL and the LofC come into prominence and why were these gods forgotten?...Were the LofL and the LofC ever worshipped side-by-side as one pantheon?...Did they start in one portion of Ortho (if yes, which) and then displace other gods?...I've read the myth concerning the creation of the Gods (quoted by OpheliaWhispers directly above), but wonder when all this happened historically?...
Concerning Alzrius:
How long did Alzrius rule/exist in Iathra?...Did he dominate any other lands?...
And about the Elves of Ortho:
How did the elves interact with non-elves (outside of "hunting them with spears")?...Did they have trade colonies around the globe or did they just sit in the Shaar...If yes, why were they such a threat?...When the Riven left, were the elves that remained non-good ones, the dark elves (in the Dragonlance way) of Ortho?...Were they in the long long ago a dominant sea power that had diminished due to their decadence ala Moorcock's Empire of Melnibone?...
Thanks in advance,
Kwint
Thu, 2006-01-19 16:56
#164
Ortho: The Beginnings
Ok...now I have a question... was it Ina or Alae who becomes the forbidden goddess? Or niether of them, which means I have to start writing up a bit on the Forbidden Goddess that fits in with the rest of what was written.
Neither.
Please let me know, so I can get to work on this. I just don't see so far where the Forbidden Goddess fits in yet, hence why it has taken me so long with those plotlines.
I think we'd pretty much been holding back from defining her too heavily without your involvement on the idea. I know we're looking at a nature diety - a personafication of Druidic Nature in effect. (Since the Elven lady was or is the proxy of Her - or actually *is* Her as the case may be.)
Thu, 2006-01-19 17:19
#165
Ortho: The Beginnings
According to the pdf, there are "Gods who are no longer remembered since the Lords of Law and Chaos consumed the world in their war"...My question is when did the LofL and the LofC come into prominence and why were these gods forgotten?...
I'm assuming that the Lords were around probably millenia before any of the current Ortho civilizations were even addressed. The two sets of Lords (Chaos and Order) dominated the scene for a long time before the Harmonium came, but there were probably minor gods in particular locations - patrons of a city specifically (like Ishtar was for her city) or household gods like the Romans had that watched over a specific family.
The Lords of Order came to dominate b/c of a paladin leading his Knights into a world conquest in a short period of time about 500 years ago. That's when the Lords of Chaos found themselves driven out into the snow so to speak. Along with this came the conversion, suppression or exclusion of all the minor little gods along with the Lords of Chaos. Aka - the demand was: convert your views to a more lawful edge and become approved by us as a minor diety - or get out.
As for why they were forgotten? 500 years have passed, with an *active* campaign of ideological white washing? Easy. How many people remember the Cathars anymore for example? At most these gods are remembered as "nifty historical relics" - not worshipped commonly.
Were the LofL and the LofC ever worshipped side-by-side as one pantheon?...
At one point in the distant past yes, maybe? But it would be before they even got the titles of Lords of Chaos and Lords of Order. Before they split. When the myths were still being made even. On the other hand, it's so far in the past as to be considered a mythological timeperiod. It's like asking if at one point there was a Roman pantheon actively worshipped that didn't include Athena because she hadn't been born yet. I don't believe anyone on Ortho would even have records of a past that distant.
Did they start in one portion of Ortho (if yes, which) and then displace other gods?...
No specific place of origin, or rather - nothing remembered even in the histories of the current population of Ortho. It's far enough back as to be non relevant for this source material, much like the question of "If one of them kills another what happens?" - I don't see the answer to it changing much so we can probably let it lie till it needs to be answered. 
In fact, one of the other myths we wrote up say they were called forth by the mortals, so they may actually be from a different plane entirely and were asked to come to Ortho to help the inhabitents.
I've read the myth concerning the creation of the Gods (quoted by OpheliaWhispers directly above), but wonder when all this happened historically?
About the same time period as when Prometheus brough fire to us Earthlings. Aka - not a relevant timeperiod for the current Ortho ciilization.
How long did Alzrius rule/exist in Iathra?...Did he dominate any other lands?...
Probably a good 150 to 200 years give or take some change, spent conquering and manipulating the people into a beachhead for his layer. And no, he didn't dominate any other lands. He was meeting too much resistance to spread any further before he got turned back.
He was being held off by the direct actions of the Lords of Chaos in Thaera who wanted Nothing to do with him, and their allies of eladrin, and abyssal powers whose interests ran counter to Alzrius.
Alzrius's beachhead was probably one of the few things the Lords of Chaos and the Lords of Order *agreed* on - no one wants Ortho to slip into the Abyss as a layer.
How did the elves interact with non-elves (outside of "hunting them with spears")?...Did they have trade colonies around the globe or did they just sit in the Shaar...
Probably colonies near Han, up that coast there, and South Thaera, and up the edge of the beholder areas possibly encroaching on the beholder's turf.
If yes, why were they such a threat?...
You mean aside from being sorta evil and chaotic as a whole and hence prime paladin chew toys? The beholders and Han were getting tired of them for economic and political reasons and viewed getting rid of them as a bonus. The elves were probably meddlers, elitist, and getting on the nerves of shorter lived races. There was also probably a long standing border dispute between the elves and the beholders. The Harmonium wanted them to join, and wanted to put a stop to elven abuses. So they became political bedfellows. Jhary may very well have had a lot to do with this particular deal.
When the Riven left, were the elves that remained non-good ones, the dark elves (in the Dragonlance way) of Ortho?... Were they in the long long ago a dominant sea power that had diminished due to their decadence ala Moorcock's Empire of Melnibone?...
Possibly - rip? You were the one who had the elves laid out in your head, what sort of a view of them did you have or are we free to go however we want with them? I'm assuming slave trade was at least one of their collective crimes.
The Harmonium had a just right to be angry with the elves, the problem with it is they went overboard in dealing with the elves and threw out the baby with the bathwater so to speak.
Thu, 2006-01-19 17:42
#166
Ortho: The Beginnings
How did the elves interact with non-elves (outside of "hunting them with spears")?...Did they have trade colonies around the globe or did they just sit in the Shaar...
Probably colonies near Han, up that coast there, and South Thaera, and up the edge of the beholder areas possibly encroaching on the beholder's turf.I have Enoril's father as having traded with the elves. My view on them is having a CE government but not nessasarly a CE people in general. At least that is what I've come to see. Sorta like the French esp during the years of and after the French Revolution.
If yes, why were they such a threat?...
You mean aside from being sorta evil and chaotic as a whole and hence prime paladin chew toys? The beholders and Han were getting tired of them for economic and political reasons and viewed getting rid of them as a bonus. The elves were probably meddlers, elitist, and getting on the nerves of shorter lived races. There was also probably a long standing border dispute between the elves and the beholders. The Harmonium wanted them to join, and wanted to put a stop to elven abuses. So they became political bedfellows. Jhary may very well have had a lot to do with this particular deal.Don't forget that good old standbye out and out racism. Of coarse this would also be a good reason as to why the colonies have not been provincialized yet as the Harmonium can't exactly go around killing all elves on every sphere they come to, nor can they shed their past hostilities entirely.
Thu, 2006-01-19 20:28
#167
Ortho: The Beginnings
I think we'd pretty much been holding back from defining her too heavily without your involvement on the idea. I know we're looking at a nature diety - a personafication of Druidic Nature in effect. (Since the Elven lady was or is the proxy of Her - or actually *is* Her as the case may be.)
And since I don't have time to re-read the whole thread right now, or anytime soon, the "Elven Lady" was the Druid that came over as one of the origonal eight? That was what my idea in the begining, when I thought her up. (I need to get the specifics before I start writing here.)
-Ophelia
Thu, 2006-01-19 20:34
#168
Ortho: The Beginnings
Yeps.
The only elf in the original founding members (again, a well concealed Harmonium dark).
Thu, 2006-01-19 23:46
#169
Ortho: The Beginnings
My view is that there were good elves and bad elves. The Elven Shaar was decadent, bloodthirsty, and probably slaving, but of course not all the elves there were equally loathsome. Some of them might have been quite nice.
And there were elves elsewhere in the world who might have been completely unobjectionable if not for their chaotic nature and opposition to the war.
Sun, 2006-01-22 00:19
#170
Ortho: The Beginnings
I think at one point, elves ruled most of the continent of "Keln" (excepting the beholder lands). With the rise of the Iirondan city-states, elven civilization was split between those of the north and those of the south, and as the human cities and farms continued to grow, the elves had to retreat even from that.
There was no malice in humanity's expansion, but elves and humans simply couldn't live in the same sorts of lifestyles, and humans were growing too quickly for the elves to keep up.
In the north, they were mostly content to retreat, to live among the halflings and other races in the jungles of Hazhkan, to learn to use the monsters of the swamps to protect them from unwelcome intruders. Some retreated still futher into the wilderness of Xaric and Motmurg, where they came into conflict with the orcs and dwarves.
In the south, though, they fought back against the humans. They gathered together in the cold extremities of the Twin Shaars and decided they would be pushed no further. They built sleek, fast vessels with sharp, deadly prows: ships made for hunting other ships. They became pirates. They discovered something unexpected; piracy paid well. Piracy paid very well, especially among the fat merchants of southern Iironda.
The isles clustered around the twin Shaars were filled with sharp coral reefs and rocks like unexpected teeth. Only the elves knew the impossibly twisty routes that enabled a ship to get there safely. The sheer, towering Flamedance Mountains prevented overland pursuit, so for a long time the lightning-fast elven ships were impossible for angry human merchants to follow, and the southern elves grew very wealthy indeed.
At last, after many centuries of this, the wizards of Han developed magic capable of blasting a route into the eastern Shaar. The rich elven pirates had grown complacent and weren't ready for a direct assault. After several decades of war, the elves were forced to flee to their cousins in the western Shaar. Then the elves grew mean.
No one today knows where the elves developed sorcery capable of transforming all the soldiers of the invading Hannish fleet into ghouls, or of melting the bones of every citizen in the colony of Anya newly built in the western Shaar. But while the Iirondan armies kept the western Shaar at a great price, they were stopped there. They would not press any further until centuries later, during the time of the Harmonium.
The rulers of the last remaining Elven Shaar continued to grow wealthy through piracy, but now they enriched themselves still further on the backs of those they had enslaved through necromancy and fouler transmutations. The capital of the Elven Shaar became known as the City of Screaming Flesh, and the delights the elven lords took at the expense of other races were more than physical, cutting into the very souls.
Still, it is true that not all of the southern elves forsook the ways of their ancestors. The flashy atrocities of the nobles did not speak for every elf in the Shaar. Throughout the peninsula there were isolated communities who paid little attention to what went on in the gilded ports. Still, in the eyes of the outside world the fact that they did not trouble themselves to destroy the sea barons made them accomplices.
While in Iironda the excesses of the chaotic elves turned them toward the magic of Law, the opposite happened in the islands of Thaera. Though no less affected by the elves' depredations, their solution was not to counter the elves, but to emulate them. They researched the same forces and sought to do the elves one better, becoming one with the powers of Chaos by intermating with them. The half-demon (and eladrin and slaad) sorcerers of Thaera created an even stranger empire, as piratic as the elves but open to the outside world. Where the elves turned in on themselves, the Confederacy of Thaera turned outward, incorporating not just elven ideas but ideas from every people they encountered. During the Harmonium Expansion, the elves would learn to curse the legacy of Renaldo Zee.
Sat, 2006-01-21 20:41
#171
Ortho: The Beginnings
The Dark of the Forbidden Goddess
(Not a soul knows the whole dark of it, but if brought together they could piece together the whole story):
The Elven Lady’s name was originally Morgranhu, which may or may not be wiped clean of the books of the Harmonium at this point. She was a Lawful Neutral Druid, and from the Heavens She was sent by her deity Lao Tzu to bring forth the truth to those that seek it… the truth of the True Harmonium Way.
The Elven Lady was over a hundred years when She first arrived in Ortho. Yes, if a man is lucky he might be able to live to be seventy, and yet She was over a hundred years when She first came here. We know that She was one with Nature and all things within Nature, including humans, dwarves, orcs, and even beholders (insert any race I have left out here). Yes, I know that the beholders weren’t made by the God who made Ortho, but they have become a part of this world, and therefore a part of the Nature of Ortho itself. She was one with the trees, the breeze that swayed them, the ground that bore them, thee sun and rain that fed them and even the parts that had fallen to the ground to die. She was one with the animals too, did you know that? Her laws were the Laws of Nature.
At first when She came to Ortho, She stayed where she was, in Voll on the Empire of Iathra. But She soon longed to see what else this world had to offer. So She left claiming to the Harmonium that She would chart the uncharted lands, and get to know the peoples of this world. In Her way, she left, on her own, even though the Harmonium sent others with Her. She quickly evaded them by turning herself into a bird. Yes, a bird, for She was powerful indeed. She knew that the Harmonium would punish Her for this, but She had the True Sight just as the wisest of the Sage’s do. She knew what would happen in the future, did you know that? She knew that what She did, she did for the Harmonium’s best interest. She saw the corruption that would spread throughout the Harmonium, and She was not about to let her knowledge die with her.
She first went to Heka, and learned from the savage people there, and in turn taught them the ways of Harmony. Most of them just laughed at Her. They laughed at her because they couldn’t see what She saw. But, there were some, some who believed that there could be Harmony in their land. Some even saw how the world could be changed to become more Harmonious, though they were few in number.
Secondly, She went to Motmurk, to the orcs. At first they wanted to hunt Her, but she created a storm that was so terrible that they saw Her power. They knew they could not kill the Elven Lady, for they would lose too many in the process. It took a few years, but eventually some of the elders of their clans came to her and asked why She was there. When She told them of the Harmony that could be theirs, they too scoffed at Her. But slowly She was able to show a few of the elders the Truth, and that was enough for Her.
She then went on to Three Rivers. It was there that the people listened to Her the most attentively. She, in turn, created a beautiful Garden there, in the middle of the city. Some say that if you know what to look for, you can even find Her image within the Garden. But you mind your tongue around the rest of the people here! We don’t want the Harmonium to desecrate that Holy place. Many that heed Her call go there on secret pilgrimages.
She in time made Her way to the Flamedance Mountains. She tried to reason with the beholders, and though they agreed with the gist of what She said, they obeyed a higher power than Her. She was actually sent packing! Believe it or not. Beholders are not the kind to trifle with, She learned very quickly, but at the cost of Her own life she felt She had to try.
When She went to Han, the people there were so caught up in their businesses and culture to pay much attention. But again, there were a few that listened, and that was enough for Her.
She went sadly to the Elven Shaar, soon before the Elves of Chaos there were to be conquered completely. She tried reasoning with them, but most of them wrote Her off as a nutty Lady that had no idea what she was talking about. Though some did listen, and She knew that those few would go to a good place when they died. That was enough for Her.
Lastly She came to the Chaos ridden Pan Thaera. Yes, the Elven Lady even set foot upon our land. She tried talking to the people of Pan Thaera, and She was not well received, to say the least. But it was here that She knew She was needed the most, so She spent the rest of her life here. Living in seclusion, She always had an open door for those curious about this strange Lady from the north.
Slowly, year after year, the Harmonium conquered the rest of the world. It was the Second Unification that brought Her to Pan Thaera. As the years wore on, and those that were young when She first came here became adults and saw that She didn’t seem to age. They became more curious about Her, and more came to Her door. They were seeing first hand what the corruption of the Harmonium could bring, and so they sought the Truth of the Elven Lady.
She could only tell them what She knew to be true. That the Truth of the Harmonium was to bring harmony with a peaceful hand to these lands, not with a fist. True Harmony, peace among fellow man, the good of the individual people to create the good of the whole, She spoke. She elaborated that it was in every person’s nature to long for peace on their own terms, but that sometimes you have to look to the things similar in people to find peace. Not to focus on the differences of the individual. Those differences would always be there, but they could become strengths if a society focused on the common goal of peace. Peace was to be found on the inside of one’s soul, and then to be passed on to another’s soul. In that manner, a True Peace could be found within a society.
At the end of Her days, at the time of the Second Trial of Order, She started speaking of a Holy place that She would create with the help of Lao Tzu. She would not tell anyone where it was, the journey was part of the process of learning the Truth for ones self, and that one must bring one nut. She told the people, who by now were large in number, that She would not leave them in spirit… that Her spirit would be found every once in a while in Nature, if one were to look hard enough. And so She left the people of Pan Thaera to find where Her deity wanted her to quest for.
Now, somewhere in this world of ours, there is a place where you can find the ultimate Truth. No one who has found it has ever spoken of it, but they come back a changed person. Sometimes people will say that a snowflake, leaf, raindrop or even ladybug will fall upon them, giving them an epiphany of what She was, and how She saw the world. Other times, a lone hunter in the wild will run into an animal that will speak to them, which are called a Totems, and tell them wondrous things of how life could be, if only True Peace was found. All these people come back changed forever. They carry within them an inner peace that is rare to see. That, my son, is why we call her the Forbidden Goddess.
This is loosely what the Dark of the Forbidden Goddess is. Please tell me if there are changes to make, or if you have things to add.
The Facts of the Dark of it for DM’s:
Name: Mogranhu
Alignment: LN
Epic level Druid/Chosen of Lao Tzu
Deity: Lao Tzu
Was one of the First Four to come to Ortho.
Told the Harmonium that she would chart the uncharted lands and check out the people of each land. They wanted her to go with a group, and she ditched the group by turning into a bird and flying until her wings wouldn’t work. The others went back to the Harmonium and told them of what she did. They were furious and probably erased her name from the history books.
She traveled alone all over the world and tried to tell them of the True Harmonium Ways.
At the Second unification she left to do this.
She ends up in Pan Thaera, at the time of the Second Trial of Order.
She goes off into the wild to create a mystical Holy Druid’s Circle. She creates a Human sized Sensory stone with a hole in the middle of it. When a pilgrim brings a nut to the Druid’s Circle, and stick it into the hole, it will re-awaken the stone and show them of the slip of the layer of Arcadia into the plane of Mechanus, and what consequently happened after that, up until the point that she “died”. All over the stone it is written in every language on Ortho: “Put the nut in the hole in the stone, and watch the Truth come to light”.
After she did this, she called one of every animal to her (and believe me, they came from all over) and gave each one of them a part of herself, creating the first True Totems on Ortho. They left with a high intelligence and wisdom, and the innate ability to talk through telepathy. Mogranhu asked her deity for this and being a chosen one of her deity, Lao Tzu answered by giving her the power to do this.
The deity Lao Tzu then asked Mogranhu to give the rest of her essence to all of the elements, and all of the different more minute parts of Nature. Now I am not saying that EVERY part of Nature, like every leaf in all of Ortho, but a little bit into each part of Nature, here and there spread around the world of Ortho, mainly in Pan Thaera. So every once in a while in the fall, a leaf will land on a woodsmen’s shoulder and he will get an epiphany of Mogranhu’s Truth, and in fact her deity’s Truth. The leaf could be a raindrop, a snowflake or even a ladybug. Anything you can think of that is a vestment of Nature itself, besides animals… that part was already covered by the Totems.
So in short, she became minutely part of Nature on Ortho in every way. I don’t know if she would have been given any DR by Lao Tzu, but the fact that she gave a part of her soul to everything in Nature, make’s her a goddess in the eyes of many around the world, whether or not she is seen as a good goddess or an evil one (which would be because the Harmonium got word of her and poisoned people’s minds from the truth).
-Ophelia
Sun, 2006-01-22 00:36
#172
Ortho: The Beginnings
*GRIN*
Sun, 2006-01-22 12:33
#173
Ortho: The Beginnings
Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu is an interesting choice. Sounds good to me.
My idea would be that Mogranhu needs to be called or accepted or something to heal Ortho's ecological woes.
Sun, 2006-01-22 01:01
#174
Ortho: The Beginnings
Aha, so there is a bit of a Moorcock analog in the elvish history of Ortho...Very nice bit of history there, Rip...Very Helpful...
Kwint
Sun, 2006-01-22 16:05
#175
Ortho: The Beginnings
The Dark of the Forbidden Goddess
You may want to integrate the following from the pdf:
Concerning the Ahltani of Gelidahl-
...This was the way of life until about 300 years ago when an elven shaman from the northlands appeared on the land’s shores and began preaching harmonious cooperation amongst the clans when times were hard and bringing forth a more peaceful way to resolve disputes. When the elven lady disappeared as mysteriously as she arrived...
AND
Concerning the following site in Gelidahl-
The Watching Stone
As for the four first adventurers, I like the idea of the Druid being female. Maybe she IS LN and is slipping twards True Neutral. She becomes, over a long amount of time, more accepting of chaos. Maybe SHE is the one that falls, like the biblical Lillith from the Garden of Eden, twards The Empire of Pan Thaera, and becomes a protector of the chaos ridden people who still search and fight for their right to freedom. She becomes like a goddess to them when she dies, it would be great if the Druid was elven for a longer life span to play this all out in. She could become the Forbidden Goddess, the one that you worship in the darkness, in corners, in secret, amoungst the Harmonium population. And maybe she is exhaulted in The Empire of Pan Thaera as the Forbidden Goddess. Worshipped in the open, statues and temples openly shown to all to worship her.
A single lone symbol of Her power remains, kept in close secret by those handful who remain and by the quiet innermost circle of the northern Druidic Circle - a standing stone with a hole bored through it by time and wind stands on the peak of the southernmost continent that juts out into the waters. The stone itself is relatively unimportant. But placing a single green leaf and acorn within the hole and it flares to life - a portal to the Lady Druid’s last sanctuary in Arcadia. (Ties into current events later with that little ’shifting plane’ incident.) This temple teaches the truth of the original Harmonium way, uncorrupted by time and greed: That it comes from the simple desire to see peace and coexistance of all.
Kwint
Sun, 2006-01-22 18:09
#176
Ortho: The Beginnings
So is Orthos a High (like Toril/Faerun), Moderate (like Oerth/Greyhawk) or Low (like Athas?) Magic world?...Is magic waning, as it is, theoretically, on Oerth (Greyhawk)?...I think this would be likely with the loss of the Fey and if technology is on the rise...Is this even a relevent question in D&D3.5?...
Kwint
Mon, 2006-01-23 20:14
#177
Ortho: The Beginnings
So is Orthos a High (like Toril/Faerun), Moderate (like Oerth/Greyhawk) or Low (like Athas?) Magic world?...Is magic waning, as it is, theoretically, on Oerth (Greyhawk)?...I think this would be likely with the loss of the Fey and if technology is on the rise...Is this even a relevent question in D&D3.5?...
Kwint
Well I would say it is a moderate, or average magic world compared to the rest of the known primes. Ok so that isn't saying much.
I do not think magic is waning, at least yet. It might just be starting to fluctuate, but not on the wane just yet. While Fey and tech might both be common indicators of magic but I don't think they are proof of magic loss. Ortho also has a lot of off planar connections which I think would at least work against any magic drain being put on the plane.
I think it is definatly an issue, even in 3.5.
Mon, 2006-01-23 22:31
#178
Ortho: The Beginnings
I vote for high magic. It's organized, focused, and it has academies that can train as many wizards as it does fighters, if it really wanted to (though this is probably more expensive, as I think it takes longer).
Ortho doesn't necessarily have more high-level spellcasters than Faerun does (but it doesn't necessarily have less, either); it probably has a lot more low-level ones. It's probably as high magic as Eberron, and it would be as high magic as Halruaa and Thay except that it's not actually ruled exclusively by mages as those nations are.
Law is as magical as Chaos, and I don't think all the magic on Ortho has ever been empowered by Nature or Faerie.
That's just my opinion, though. But, I mean, once you've introduced spelljammer fleets, it's hard to go to a low-magic paradigm. The spell-like abilities of the beholders alone make it a pretty high-magic setting.
Tue, 2006-01-24 01:55
#179
Ortho: The Beginnings
While Fey and tech might both be common indicators of magic but I don't think they are proof of magic loss.
I confused magic drain with an imbalanced ecology from another thread/post by Clueless, my bad...I do however think that the higher the tech level, the less magic use there is, at least literature leads me to think that the two are less than compatible...Of course, this is not literature, its a game...
One thing that does lead me to think that magic may be declining is the fact that the 'god of magic' is listed as one of the Forgotten Gods and no member of the Lords of Law seems to fill that slot...
Kwint
Tue, 2006-01-24 02:03
#180
Ortho: The Beginnings
Ina or the Scribe might step up to the plate, but there's a lot of aspects out there that aren't being covered. It's an imbalanced world definately - but on the other hand it's only been imbalanced for about 500 years now... it's very possible these are more long term problems (read: adventure plot hooks).
Thu, 2006-01-26 00:59
#181
Ortho: The Beginnings
Once again, nice work...Highly important god for a world/interstellar/interplanar government...Two down, six plus eight to go...
Kwint
Wed, 2006-01-25 23:15
#182
Ortho: The Beginnings
Iathiphos, Lord of Bookkeepers
The Scribe, The Inkstained
Intermediate Deity
Symbol: A quill and inkwell
Home Plane: Mechanus
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Scribes, Copyists, Proper Knowledge, Invention
Worshipers: scribes, scholars, lawyers
Cleric Alignments: LN, LG, LE, TN
Domains:
Favored Weapon: “Bow of the Lightbringer” (longbow)
Clergy and Temples:
Iathiphos, is responsible for the recording of accurate history and documents. He is a thin, pale sort of god, often appearing with inkstained fingers and a collection of spare quills tucked behind his ear. His avatar form is usually a middle aged, sandy haired man dressed in clerical robes or a leather smock.
His clergy holds significant power in the province of Iironda where the temple records are often used to validate the holdings of a house when government positions come open. They are also very important within Harmony's Glory, where copies of all meetings of the Ortho Council, and all open meetings of the Octave are stored for review by any Ortho citizen.
The clergy of Iathiphos is best described as bureaucratic. Iathiphos and his temples track the birth records of nobility and significant bloodlines, and his clergy will willingly confirm the birthrights and bloodline of any who ask it of them. If the asker's family is not already in the temple records a small fee will add their name to that of family's to be tracked regardless of the social standing of the asker. Bastard children, or parents who doubt the parentage of their children will often ask the temple to confirm their bloodlines. A cleric accused of falsifying records will take this as a personal insult, and may confront the accuser violently.
The temple of Iathiphos has few festivals, but the most significant one comes once a year in the late spring. Clerics, scribes, and inventors who have spent the winter inside avoiding wintry weather, will present their winter projects that they have worked on for the year. This festival is called the Festival of Light, though with a smile non-worshippers may call it "Fireball Fest". These projects often range from demonstrations of new inventions to detailed historical summaries, with everything in between covered, including new mathematical, magical, and astrological research. These festivals may have participants from the lowest schoolings of children, to graybeards who gather in a corner to share their views on the reality of the planes.
History/Relationships:
Iathiphos, the apprentice scribe, is subservient to Rialondru and is his direct student. The god holds the power given to him by Rialondru as a great responsibility. He was discovered as a cleric in the temple of Rialondru, who brought the attention of the god upon himself with his own audacity.
Iathiphos made a proposal to organize the temple records and laid out an extraordinarily clear approach to doing so, but his god was more amused than spurred to action. Iathiphos took the challenge of ‘if you want to do it, do it yourself’ to heart, and unraveled the records of the temple. At the time he clarified the birthright of a local kingdom, putting an end to civil war in the area and proving his point to his deity.
As a reward for his service, and at the clear need for someone of his skill, Rialondru split off a fraction of his deific power and fused it to Iathiphos, setting the scribe within the pantheon.
Dogma:
Recorded history is the only true ‘history’ once those who remember it are gone, it should be preserved accurately and with honor to those ancestors. To change a record is to change the way history happened, therefore records are not be tampered with. You should always strive to learn more about your field, and never cease learning. Obey your teachers and use their knowledge as a foundation for your own. An invention is not worthy of note until another can replicate your work. Share your work freely. A fact is not a fact until it can be proven. A theory is not wrong until it can be disproven.
Another one down.... and yes. He holds a *Science Fair* every year. This is *the* Geekboy God.
Thu, 2006-01-26 13:04
#183
Ortho: The Beginnings
The strength of Ortho and the Harmonium spelljamming fleet can best be summed up in four words: new, growing, considerable, and dangerous. This dirtside nation that has managed to seed itself across several spheres is playing a dangerous game in space. They have a new, well equipped fleet that is at once large and fearsome and yet untested on the great expanse. Their ship’s casters are numerous and powerful combining humanoid and beholder crews and bring with them a hot and demanding religion and dogma. The game that Ortho plays is to expand and spread without being seen, and it is all the more dangerous as it is not entirely clear that the commanders of these fleets realizes the nature of the game they are playing. Looking over these groundlings I find myself lending my sympathies to their cause of order, but I fear they will be destroyed soon enough. I have seen many like them come and die before.
Thu, 2006-01-26 13:33
#184
Ortho: The Beginnings
Concerning Spelljammin', I'd be interested to know where OrthoSpace is in comparrison to other crystal spheres...Since I'm not overly familiar with Spelljammer, I've visited spelljammer.org and came across a variety of phlogiston maps on this page, an example of which is shown below...Any thoughts on where Ortho is?...
Kwint
There's another map, with Elven Territories indicated, but it's on a yahoo site, so I'm unsure if the map would show if the image were imbedded directly (you know, like tripod images)...
Kwint
Thu, 2006-01-26 13:41
#185
Ortho: The Beginnings
I think it'd be best to leave Ortho's location up to the individual DM based on the needs of the individual campaign.
For what it's worth, I think it'd be interesting of Ortho was near the scro territories, so that the Orthorans and scro could make an alliance in the name of Law against the elven armadas.
However, perhaps another campaign would rather they concentrated against the neogi, which probably wouldn't happen if they were too much in bed with the scro. Or perhaps the beholders of Ortho would go on a genocidal rampage against the other beholder nations. The possibilities need not be tied down to just one.
Thu, 2006-01-26 14:00
#186
Ortho: The Beginnings
Fair enough (not that others shouldn't express their opinions on the subject) 
...
On a similar vein, are Ortho's colonies in the a) same crystal sphere; b) in seperate crystal spheres; c) a mix of the two?...Please, don't feel restrained by these definitions if you have a better way to describe the situation of 'Ortho and Her Prime Colonies"...If not 'a' above, does the term 'OrthoSpace' describe Ortho's crystal sphere or all the territory controlled by Ortho?...
Kwint
Thu, 2006-01-26 15:43
#187
Ortho: The Beginnings
For what it's worth, I think it'd be interesting of Ortho was near the scro territories, so that the Orthorans and scro could make an alliance in the name of Law against the elven armadas.
Well, this gentleman certainly seems like he's ready for the scro and the Harmonium to join up-
From the Spelljamer.org Scro 3.5 Conversion page...
Kwint
Thu, 2006-01-26 15:51
#188
Ortho: The Beginnings
Fair enough (not that others shouldn't express their opinions on the subject) ...
...
On a similar vein, are Ortho's colonies in the a) same crystal sphere; b) in seperate crystal spheres; c) a mix of the two?...Please, don't feel restrained by these definitions if you have a better way to describe the situation of 'Ortho and Her Prime Colonies"...If not 'a' above, does the term 'OrthoSpace' describe Ortho's crystal sphere or all the territory controlled by Ortho?...
Kwint
The colonies are in seperate crystal spheres and Ortho Space does only describe Ortho's crystal sphere and not the entirety of Ortho controled space(Which as of yet is strictly limited to the spheres that Ortho controls.
The way I see it is that Ortho is a groundling nation branching out into jammer space. My take on it is that the hardheads might not even know how to navigate through jammer space to get to all of their worlds, or even IF it is possable to spelljam to all of the Harmonium controled prime worlds.
In the cosmology that I use jammer space connects many perhaps most of the prime spheres that are connected to the planes but not all of them. There are crystal spheres and worlds that have no connection what so ever to the other planes and there are prime worlds that are not connected what so ever to jammerspace. It is probably the same way with other realms and planes such as the Far Realms, or the new cosmology given for the Forgotten Realms (In my own cosmology I have that as an "alternate" world split from the planar connected Realms with one mirroring the other.)
Thu, 2006-01-26 23:22
#189
Ortho: The Beginnings
I think it'd be best to leave Ortho's location up to the individual DM based on the needs of the individual campaign.
For what it's worth, I think it'd be interesting of Ortho was near the scro territories, so that the Orthorans and scro could make an alliance in the name of Law against the elven armadas.
However, perhaps another campaign would rather they concentrated against the neogi, which probably wouldn't happen if they were too much in bed with the scro. Or perhaps the beholders of Ortho would go on a genocidal rampage against the other beholder nations. The possibilities need not be tied down to just one.
Perhaps we could place something to indicate these options (and any others that might yet be suggested) in the final document if we choose not to define the location of OrthoSpace...
Kwint
Fri, 2006-02-03 17:29
#190
Ortho: The Beginnings
Another fine addition to the Myth-History of Ortho...Looking forward to the write-up of Rialondru (and Olinem)...When writing up R, try to include Iskandros in the write-up as either an avatar or proxy or somesuch (see the partial write-up of Omospondia)...
Kwint
Fri, 2006-02-03 16:31
#191
Ortho: The Beginnings
This is the story of a beautiful lady named Grace. After Truth left the world, and the elder gods stepped back, surrendering the world to their children, Rialondru found himself idle in his rule. His people were content, his temples organized by his apprentice, and he found himself wishing for a queen. Rialondru commanded a message be carried across his lands: that he sought the most beautiful and noblewoman of them all to be his consort and join him in his palace above the clouds. He would view them all at a ball to be held at the end of the month, and lady after noble lady returned his invitation, with list and list of their escorts to attend the ball.
All of the ladies replied, save one. Her invitation was delivered to her drawing room on a silver platter, placed on her desk for her perusal by red-coated footmen, but her window was open. A small breeze lifted the fine engraved card and took it off into the nearby woods to land at the feet of a young man lounging on a picnic blanket. Now this young man was Olinem, in disguise buttering up his newest lover, the peasant girl at his side on the blanket. She was lonely with no husband in sight but all the beauty and grace of the gods had been granted to her. She was called Grace.
Olinem quickly corrected the name on the invitation, and turned to her, smiling. And so it was that Grace found herself the only peasant woman to attend Lord Rialondru's ball. Olinem dressed her in bright reds and whites, finery borrowed from Kabajij. His daughter, Jislana, taught her how to dance and float on the wind. And he himself taught her how to look for love, and welcome it when it flowered.
And so, Grace arrived at the ball dancing on snowflakes without leaving a trace of her path, dressed in rich furs and bearing her own shining face to all. She brought no footmen to serve her drinks, no slaves to primp her hair and boost of her beauty, no chamberlains carrying scrolls of family histories, and no bards to line her path with roses and read poetry of her beauty. She came alone, dressed in fineries that befit her and the most beautiful jewel of them all - a true smile.
Within a heartbeat she captivated the ball, and all there wondered what king sent his daughter, and snubbed her so without a proper escort. She sent Iathiphos scampering through his bloodlines looking for her name, and drew Rialondru's attention effortlessly. Rialondru was captivated by her beauty, her manner, her kindness to those around her of high and low blood. She caught the eyes of the escorts and attendants; the bards stumbled on their words. The night passed in song, and dance, wine and sweets and still she looked for the flowering of love that she hoped to find.
When the evening came to a close, she found herself in the arms of the god looking into his eyes as they danced, and she found to her disappointment that she saw no flowers in his eyes. He was looking for a wife, a symbol of his royal right and to that she had no answer. Rialondru opened his mouth to speak and Grace burst into tears. Shaking her head, she placed a finger across his lips and whispered, 'No.'
As she left, leaving Rialondru to look upon the ladies who had come knowing what they were looking for, a single bard held the door for her. He was new to his court, innocent of the intrigues and still caught by his art. He had spent the evening composing in his mind songs that his sworn lady would presume were odes to her own beauty. Grace fled, sparing a feeble smile for the young bard as she darted down the stairs. It was only as she reached the bottom of them that she realized what she had seen, turned back, and smiled in the face of flowering love, her husband found.
And that is how Rialondru learned that nobility is no guarantee for love, and how Olinem gifts his worshippers.
- From the Green Woods Cycle, fairytales of Voll
Sat, 2006-02-04 00:11
#192
Ortho: The Beginnings
Thinking about how best to guide a GM for running adventures and a campaigne with this matirial. Came up with some catagories.
Ortho Adventure Hooks
PCs are natives of Ortho
PCs are immigrants to Ortho from other colonies
PCs are Planars
PCs are SpellJammers
PCs working for the greater Harmony
PCs working against the tyranny of the Harmonium
PCs simply working to get ahead in the world/survive/seeking adventure.
PCs are Apprentice level (0th-1st)
PCs are Starting level (1st-3rd)
PCs are Low level (3rd-6th)
PCs are Mid level (6th-12th)
PCs are High level (12th-20th)
PCs are Epic level (21st-33rd)
PCs are High Epic level (33rd+)
Settings/Styles
Seafaring/Naval
Pollitical Intrigue
Trouble Shooters
Acheaological Adventure
Crime
Sat, 2006-02-04 21:53
#193
Ortho: The Beginnings
Here are two maps of the Parsadian peninsula I made to help me envision Omospondia and Karazam's history prior to the coming of the Harmonium...
Kwint
The Iskandrine Empire (c. 5th cent. BH to c. 2nd cent. BH):
The Karazam Empire (c. 1st cent. BH to c. 70 AH):
Sun, 2006-02-05 00:00
#194
Ortho: The Beginnings
Those are nice, Kwint. Quite a complex history building up in the region.
Ya, I'm really into historical atlases and I thought something like those maps would help fulfill that interest and 'creativity'...The first map figures into my write-up of Omospondia, while the second figures into backstory for Queen Ealataeva and Varzak (of the Latter Four), as well as the yet to be posted province of Karazam...Rip (and anyone else interested), give 'em a read and let me know what you think...I'm jonesin' for some sort of response and miss the discussion on all things Ortho...
Kwint
Sat, 2006-02-04 23:46
#195
Ortho: The Beginnings
Those are nice, Kwint. Quite a complex history building up in the region.
Mon, 2006-02-06 19:44
#196
Ortho: The Beginnings
PCs are Apprentice level (0th-1st)
Something has gone wrong and it is up to the PCs to get help and survive the ordeal. Likely it is the PCs' own fault but what they lack in skill they make up for in determination and youthful vigor.
At this level the PCs are likely to be young or even children just on the verge of entering adult hood. Often adventures take the form of rites of passage where the PCs grow up as they gain experience. Also the PCs are likely to be part of a pre-arranged group such as a class on a field trip or a training brigade. If they are younger they are likely to all be from the same town and have known each other all of their lives.
What must be remembered is that at this level the PCs are weak and often will have to rely on others to really solve a problem. The PCs will also often have to rely heavily on their mentors for instruction, healing, and protection and separation from those mentors can be an adventure in and of itself.
It is unlikely that the PCs will start out even with a full compliment of equipment. Wizards might have to borrow their master's spellbook in the morning, and rogues might just have to make do with a few poorly made lockpicks. Any masterwork item will probably be cherished by the PCs and more likely they will have to make do with day-to-day mundane items and their own wits.
PCs are Starting level (1st-3rd)
At this level the PCs have just recently graduated into a profession and struck out on their own. At this level they are about equal to most people they meet and anyone could pose a challenge under the right circumstances. The PCs are likely to still partly rely on their mentors--the wizard will see his teacher to learn new spells, fighters are likely to have superior officers that they look up to for training, monks have masters and need to visit the dojo regularly. However, at this level once the adventure truly begins the PCs are likely to be on their own and working against the odds.
Use the normal starting age for PCs or just decide on a standard age. An ingenious and cooperative group of Players can do a lot with PCs of these levels and can surprise a GM, but the GM must still be careful as the PCs will still be relatively weak compared to most threats and even the natural environment is likely to pose a serious challenge.
Remember at this level the primary thing that will often bind a party together is simple need and circumstances. Party members may know each other as childhood friends but at this level the party has probably seen little action under fire that really forges a bond between heroes.
At the Starting level the PCs should have all the mundane equipment they need and each will probably have one superior or masterwork item. The starting gold table in the PHB is a good rule to go by for the GM, but remember that unless they are starting in a major very metropolitan area it is unlikely that everything will be available, at least at the price listed in the books. It is also likely that the PCs are equipped by those that employ them.
PCs are Low level (3rd-6th)
At this level the PCs should start to come into their own. For their lesser missions they will probably rely entirely on the party's resources and the party should be able to sustain itself in the wilderness or dungeon for at least a week.
As far as plots go the party members may get involved with middle men, thugs and low level enforcers of higher organizations. Still any major enemy or villain at this time is likely to be far and away more powerful than they, but also at this level that enemy probably will not consider the party much of a threat or to be worthy of much attention (remember the evil overlord not only has to fend off the heroes he also has to build up his evil empire).
Sometimes GMs will start a campaign at this level in order to allow for higher ECL races, but just as often the PCs will have started at a lower level and come up to this level. Depending on the situation party dynamics and bonds could either be well forged already or be just forming.
One thing that a GM must remember at this level is that while it is good to put the truly high-powered beings and villains into a world with low level PCs those PCs will likely be unable to fight or even defend against those foes and on the flip side those foes will probably find the PCs to be too small to be worth their trouble. At this level even a single resurrection spell is costly for the whole party so the GM must be careful to balance difficulty with party survival.
With this level the party should be coming into their first set of magical equipment as well as first starting to consider prestige classes and the more specialized feat options. Starting gold for higher-level characters can be found in the DMG and in most circumstances this is a good rule of thumb for how much the PCs should start with for their personal equipment. However, changes up or down from this according to the setting, tone of the game, situation and GM's style are all acceptable.
PCs are Mid level (6th-12th)
These are the levels where most of the hard and heavy adventuring happens. Many foes are capable of posing a serious threat to the PCs while the PCs are still able to take them down. Prestige classes will start to play a major role in the decisions that the characters make and for the case where the GM starts the game at this level there are many many races available.
The party will probably also be looking to establish their own base of operation, or at the very least start carrying around better accommodations than trial rations and tents. This is also the first levels where the PCs will start to make their own equipment. Personalization of classes and characters should be encouraged by the GM and if the PCs are played up to this level then the party should be well formed.
When equipping PCs of this level the players can still be left to select items themselves with a few guidelines from the GM. The DMG's table is a good rule of thumb. The GM should beware though because as the level rises more powerful items become available so caps on the prices of individual items may be a good idea.
Thu, 2006-02-09 01:10
#197
Ortho: The Beginnings
Re the backhistory developing in this province - how far back are we assuming this happened? This particular aspect popped up when I wasn't paying full attention to the thread, so I'm just a touch lost on it.
Thu, 2006-02-09 01:29
#198
Ortho: The Beginnings
Re the backhistory developing in this province - how far back are we assuming this happened? This particular aspect popped up when I wasn't paying full attention to the thread, so I'm just a touch lost on it.
What province are you refering to?...If it's Omospondia, then, as the historical maps indicate (see dating above the maps), it's the five plus centuries prior to their 'conflict' with the Motmurk/Xaric Harmonium forces...They helped me to see what the ancient relationship of the peninsula was with Xaric, Ulfrheim and the Keln nations that border Omospondia and Karazam...Read the full write-ups of Omospondia and the Latter Four for more thorough info ...
Kwint
Thu, 2006-02-09 23:29
#199
Ortho: The Beginnings
Rialondru, Lord of Hierarchy
The Great Composer
Greater Deity
Symbol: A shield and scepter
Home Plane: Arcadia
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Portfolio: Obedience, Authority, the Harmonium. Formally the god of kings and nobles.
Worshipers: Harmonium members, lawyers, law makers
Cleric Alignments: LN, LG, LE
Domains:
Favored Weapon: “Order’s Strength and Order’s Wrath” (shield and greatsword)
The Great Composer is the patron of the Harmonium and its ideals. He is the patron of order and empires. He is the kingmaker, the lawmaker, and the ringgiver - giving order to his people and rewarding them according to their due. His focus is on his people as a whole, valuing the organization above the individual, as a result he is willing to ask sacrifices of his followers though they may be cruel if they are nessecary for his goals.
His avatar takes the form of tall man, crowned as if an ancient kind. He generally appears to be middle aged, with fine sharp features and clear eyes, with the bearing of a highest royal. He wears red plated armor and carries a sword and shield though he is more likely to be found coordinating forces over wide stretches of territory than leading a charge. He is a strictly methodical god, preferring to lead the pantheon through slow changes following a defined plan. His closest ally in the panthon is Iathiphos, the cleric he brought to godhood to assist in his record keeping.
The temple of Rialondru is virtually unchanged after millinia. The temple goes to great lengths to retain the rituals of it's past in their original form and prides itself on it's long history. His temple libraries are stacked with copies and copies of scriptures, rulings, works on ethical leadership and government, and records of family trees for familes that no longer even exist. Often and adjuct cleric of Iathiphos can be found in these libraries assisting their their organization.
History and tradition hold such a grip on the temple that the rites are still held in the long dead original tounge of Ariatha - though the vast majority of worshippers don't understand a word of it, merely parroting their priests in ritual. The clerics themselves are required to learn the language and great pains are taken to preserve pronounciation exactly as it was three millenia ago.
There have been three great points of reorganization in the temple, at least three that are on record. Every millenia the highest of the temple officials meet to review the scriptures and their interpretations of them. They spend upwards of a year in Council, reading, debating and meditating with their god before making any changes or approving the standing theology of the Great Composer. These three Councils, known as the Council of Batton, the Council of Ree, and the Council of Tlan Mer established the current codified dogma and approved scriptures of the temple. It is considered highest heresy to retain copies of apocryphal materials outside of archival purposes with the temple.
While there are no records of the temple prior to the Council of Batton, rumors persist among certain sects that the temple existed before the council. The rumors also whisper that the true temple, dating from before the Council of Batton held radically different beliefs that were simply excised from the temple and blackened from the historical records at that time. The temple certainly does not encourage exploration into the subject.
The temple has a number of festivals throughout the year. The Lion's Feast is an acknowledgement of the need for law and order within a society. A village gathers and holds a feast, at it honoring the heads of their family, their elders and the leaders of the village as a whole. This is a time to express thanks to these figures of authority who otherwise often recieve no thanks for their duties.
The day after the Lion's Feast though is an entirely different matter. While the Feast is a time for the community to acknowledge its leaders, the day after is known as Censure. This day is dedicated to humbling the leaders of a community to their duties to their people, and is dedicated to hearing the complaints and requests of those they rule over. No words spoken on this day may be punished, and in some communities it is the only time when complaints may be freely lodged against their leadership.
Crowning day is the traditional day for king and rulers to take power. In some provinces, such as Ulfriem, it is the same day that elections are held.
History/Relationships:
Rialondru despises Kibajij the most of all the Lords of Chaos. The irreverent Trickster is his perfect opposite, and has over the millenia dedicated much of his time to harrassing the god and his followers. In fact, a long stahnding tradition of the temple is a yearly fox hunt - supposedly to keep the skills and health of the monastic clerics of the temple in shape.
Iathiphos and the alliance with his temple, dates from shortly after the Council of Batton, a god brought to godhood by Rialondru for his services.
Rialondru spent much of his time in the past tending to the bloodlines of nobility and building empires out of the work of his followers. Many stable kingdoms owe their esxistance in some part to his efforts. Amongst the most noted empires that he supported was that of Iskandros, the young conqueror of nearly half the continent of Keln. Iskandros's prowness on the battlefield, and skill at laying forth an empire that would hold for generations untill his bloodline weaken lead the temple to presume he was a proxy of the god. His status as a proxy is likely to be confirmed at the next Council in three years.
// Insert other great conquerers here
Dogma:
Respect your leaders, they are the only thing that stand between you and anarchy. Leaders hold an obligation to tend to the needs of the people. The people outweigh the needs or petty desires of any one individual, regardless of the individual's bloodline. Changes to any system of government can only legitimately come from within. Confusion in the chain of command is abhorrant. Adultry is a strike against the very fabric of a civilization confusing bloodlines, loyalties and inheritance, and should not be tolerated. Bastards must be acknowledged by their father.
Another one down.
Thu, 2006-02-09 23:56
#200
Ortho: The Beginnings
Another nice write-up...Thanks for including Iskandros, I like what you did with him...Three years indeed...
Kwint
Fri, 2006-02-10 00:27
#201
Ortho: The Beginnings
Thanks. I had fun deciding that the temple at one poine just Purged their past history - three years hence is gonna be a serious plot hook if the temple gets tossed into serious debate on the new Order of the Harmonium.
Family fueds are the worst after all, and some of them may even still care about each other (the Dancer and the Musician for example) making it hard to fight quite as viciously as they might be able to. But have no doubt, this family tiff is an ugly one - and whatever love either side has for the other is buried very deeply under a lot of anger, resentment, and outright hate.
The Harmonium might not like, or even *accept* this idea, but no one ever had to say they were *right*. The pantheon itself may not realize how bad it would be if they outright killed each other (Ina does of course).
Actually the fact that some of themn might still love each other might make it all the worse and more vicious. Emotions are not cut and dry things after all.
Do you think this would be a one to one coorispondance? That if x on one side dies then y on the other does too. Or is it more like if one dies on one side the others are hurt as well?