One Shot - Era of Strife
Outline
History
In the ancient times known as Xibalba, the giants enslaved the world, and all others toiled under their rule. Any revolt by fearless humans was violently squashed. However, the giants' hubris was so great that they eventually tried to enslave the gods themselves. When the attempt inevitably failed, a cataclysmic event swept the world. The gods died, as did many people. A hole in the land stretching a quarter of the globe was left behind: Huexyacac.
During this time of upheaval, when there was no Magic and no gods, the Tlatlacatecolotl, beings of immense power, escaped Mictlán, the underworld, using the four trees that connect all the worlds and planes to do so. They, in turn, started enslaving the world and killing anyone who opposed them. Then, new gods much more powerful than the previous ones found our world: the Dragon Gods, Teteo Coatl Ilhuicatl. With their help and that of their dragon offspring, the Tlatlacatecolotl were defeated and banished back to Mictlān.
The new gods set out to heal the world by filling Huexyacac with life-giving water. However, the taint of the giants’ perfidy proved insidious, and Huexyacac continued to grow. Together with their followers, the gods Kereska and Sardior created the Tehualtin Tlahuicayotl: four bulwarks to stop any further encroachment at the cost of many sacrifices.
In those long years when Magic returned, new races appeared: Elves appeared in the jungle, graceful and ferocious. Gnomes appeared underground and proved quite adept at magic. Halflings appeared in the hills with pointed teeth and a cannibalistic nature. Orcs, goblinoids, and many other humanoids crawled out of the badlands and swamps.
War, war never changes. Countries were formed when the new gods appeared; they all required much tribute. The Keepers of the Divine, priests, ruled the nations. Since people and resources were scarce, it was better to take from your neighbor than to give up your own. Since then, there has been an ebb and flow of conflict throughout the world. When the gods showed their priests how to animate the dead, warfare intensified. No generation has known peace.
Current Day
Cities have grown to accommodate over 100,000 souls. Houses are made of wood and loam with reed roofs. Temples, which are often large ziggurats, are made of stone; the largest rises to 50 meters in height. Canals interlace the cities, providing sources for fishing, irrigation, and transportation. These population centers are supported by many small agricultural villages, some of which use artificial islands to produce crops year-round. One language is used by all, written on bark paper using logograms complemented with a set of syllabic glyphs. The priests have their own language.
Magic still flows through the world, albeit erratically, arcane magic has become much stronger over the years. While not all weapons and armor are magical anymore, most still are due to the many wars being waged. Although metallurgy has been invented in the south, metal weapons have proven much more difficult to enchant.
There is still ever-present warfare, but a new and larger danger has appeared: the sun is shining less powerfully every day. The priests say the giants are behind this. They hid away for generations, working on a curse called "the ordning" to snuff out all life. The Keepers are trying to reach accords with other nations to face this new threat together. However, it is difficult for people who have never known peace. Slowly, the focus is shifting toward finding the giants. At the same time, some priests are working on a grand project called the Citlalin, which will bring the chosen ones closer to the sun. Rumors say the power of volcanos is needed to do so.
Meta Information
The vast majority of of giants died and many of the survivors turned into cyclopses, ettins, fomorians, ogres, and trolls. True giants are rare now and have retreated to the far corners of the world. None of the goliaths or dinosaurs survived.
The only existing classes: Barbarian, Cleric, Druid, Factotum, Fighter, Ranger, Skald, Sorcerer, Wizard. Only followers of Uyots, god of Fatalism, Fear, Revenge, and War, can be Lotl; beast spirit warriors (Fighters and Rangers).
Adventure
You live in Altepetl, largest city in the world. Keeper Itzpapalotl, priestess of Uyots and war leader, tasked you, elite warriors, to go to Mecatl, the port city on the eastern shore of Huexyacac. Inside the Tehualtin Tlahuicayot there, the Netlaniloyan is hidden. It is vital for creating the Citlalin, steal it and bring it back.
Human Faction Agent, Cleric Blood Domain
You are a patrician; for more generations than anyone says they can remember your family has been at the head of the Uyots religion. Right now your mother is the supreme priestess and after both your siblings died in battle, you are the number one candidate. But life in the church is ruthless; your cousins are more than happy to help you stumble.
Regardless, you need to rise in the ranks of the clergy to even be considered for the job. And that means going above and beyond, succeeding at every task that is asked of you. There is no nepotism here, your mother won’t do you any favors and your relationship is complicated enough as it is. No, you need to make sure Keeper Itzpapalotl thinks you are outstanding and at the same time see a way to gain her job, the last stepping stone to your ultimate prize.
You are good at reading people and maintain many relationships, always playing the game, socially maneuvering, glad-handing all those who may prove useful down the road. You are owed many favors and are collecting ever more. People who managed to get closer to you consider you cold and calculating but you can’t afford to be anything else. You crave a real connection with someone, something you have with no one but your father, you don’t dare let your shield slip.
You wear soft body armor constructed of densely packed, unspun cotton stitched between two layers of fabric. Attached to the back of your armor is a large flag made out of a woven cotton with feathers on top of the cotton backing. It displays the holy symbol of Uyots; a dragon claw dripping blood, and your personal emblems, denoting your accomplishments and skills. You possess a metal sword, brought from the south at the cost of a small fortune.
You wear a helmet carved out of hardwood, shaped like a dragon’s head with you looking through the open jaw. You carry a foldable, round shield made from agave and the skin of an ocelot, covered with strips of gold.
Obsession: I need to do things perfectly or I might as well not bother.
Druid: It’s Complicated, they have a very intense relationship with your father and you are very close to him as well.
Ranger: Rivalry, both of you need the approval of Keeper Itzpapalotl to further your careers. Even though your careers are very different only one can be the teacher’s pet.
Sorcerer: Opposition, yours is not a competition, but a battle. Divine magic is superior and they will know it.
Halfling Folk Hero, Druid Circle of Dragons
Your childhood was one of poverty, as so many. But unlike most, you and your family were happy in the life you had together. You still like to spend as much time together as possible, eating and playing games. When you reached your formative years you were lucky to find apprenticeship with a carpenter.
Early in your career you were out in the forest with the other apprentices to gather wood when you were beset from all sides by rabid animals. As your fellow workers were rent to pieces something awoke inside of you. And minutes later you found yourself amidst many dead predators… in dragon form.
It took a while to will yourself back into your own halfling body and your eyes forever stayed as dragon’s eyes; reptilian and gold. Only one other apprentice survived and you helped him back to town where the story of your deeds quickly grew. Not used to the attention you retreated to the forest where you took the time to come to terms with your new powers and learned how to control them. And that’s where you met Tenoch, another dragon shaper who had come to seek you out. From him you learned most of the things you know today. He also told you how few dragon shapers exist and that you are the only halfling among them. He died fighting in another country and you built a monument to him.
When your family heard that you were the only halfling dragon shaper the story spread so far that your name is known in countries far and wide. You were immediately brought into the fighting forces, the Uyots special command, to be precise. But whenever you can you go out to help those less fortunate than you and have gained quite a following.
Unlike Tenoch, you have developed quite the appetite and often go out into the wilds to eat any type of creature you can get your claws on. Then there’s another; you like to hoard secrets. You hide and listen through open windows and even sneak into houses to go through people’s stuff to see what you can find. You don’t steal anything though.
Your armor is a tunic made of ayate fiber; a coarse fabric derived from the threads of the maguey agave.
Obsession: I need to know everyone’s secret.
Cleric: It’s Complicated, you have a very intense relationship with their father and they are very close to him as well.
Ranger: Inherited Hatred, you have no reason to despise each other beyond the legacy of those who raised you, and yet...
Sorcerer: Secret-Keepers, together you slew and ate a red dragon wyrmling in the hopes of gaining power, you did not.
Elf Soldier, Ranger Beast Spirit Archetype
Life wasn’t kind to you. The runt of the litter, small and frail, your older siblings abused you every day and your parents didn’t care. You counted the days till you could leave and make a life of your own. Unfortunately that proved harder than you thought. After being cheated and robbed a few times your true talent was discovered; fighting.
Keeper Itzpapalotl saw this and brought you into the Uyots temple and personally trained you. You found peace in your life with the other soldiers, the strict regime giving you what you need. You took multiple prisoners and gained several promotions. You are now a Lotl, a Beast Spirit warrior, infused with the power of animals, one of the most elite ranks. But you have your sights set even higher; you want to be part of the Otomitl, the elite bodyguards of the Keepers.
When not away on missions you spend most of your time training, ever improving your skills. In the little spare time you have left, you enjoy playing the ball game though you have been removed from it multiple times for excessive violence.
Other than people might think, you are not quick to anger. If the situation calls for it you will use violence, but you know restraint and will shrug of insults and simply move away from belligerent people. Loyalty means everything to you, it doesn’t matter if you like your colleague or not, you will never leave them behind.
You look down on those who can’t or won’t fight. Even if a craftsperson makes the most amazing weapons, furniture, or alcohol, if they applied for an exemption from the fighting forces they are weak and don’t deserve your respect. People say you are bad with money, just cause you spend it all on food, alcohol, and companionship, what’s so bad about that?
Your suit of armor is made of a single piece of clothing with an opening in the back, covering the entire torso and most of the extremities. It is made of animal hide, leather, and cotton and decorated with emblems that denote your accomplishments and skills. Your helmet is carved out of hardwood, shaped like a puma’s head with an open jaw.
You carry a round shield made from bamboo and the skin of a rabbit, covered with ten thousand exotic bird feathers.
Obsession: I will never let my brothers and sisters in arms down.
Cleric: Rivalry, both of you need the approval of Keeper Itzpapalotl to further your careers. Even though your careers are very different only one can be the teacher’s pet.
Druid: Inherited Hatred, you have no reason to despise each other beyond the legacy of those who raised you, and yet...
Sorcerer: Indebted, you saved their life and now they owe you a life-altering favor. The terms are always shifting.
Human Ruined, Sorcerer Wild Magic Origin
You were marked from birth, a reptilian eye superimposed over a red flame clearly visible on your neck, the symbol of Garyx, god of fire, destruction, and renewal. When you're stressed, the mark hisses audibly. Various people approached your parents to take you under their care and teach you. Cuauhtémoc won out, the old man taking you in at the tender age of two. He knew nothing of rearing children, and neither did most of his apprentices. But few could teach magic as he could and no one was more receptive than you, your magic prowess grew by leaps and bounds. Until that one day…
Utterly destroyed, that’s what you were. Everyone was surprised that you not only survived but came back stronger. Years ago you were so sure that your magic was strong enough to defeat Keeper Itzpapalotl. You were going to show the world that arcane magic is the strongest, and the future of warfare, buoyed by the fact that even dragons employ it.
But on that fateful day your magic literally blew up in your face. You now realize how foolish you were in challenging the Keeper. But you have been working so hard at coming back, you are still going to show the world the power of arcane magic, just in a different way. Keeper Itzpapalotl could not ignore your power and so she invited you into the ranks and ever since you have made sure to prove time and again what arcane magic can do, the others either respect or fear you.
You are very passionate in all that you do, as any lover will attest. On the opposite side of that same coin; arrogant and hot-headed are things you’ve been called, and rightly so. You may have a temper and don’t suffer fools gladly but you have a mission in life and no one is going to get in the way of it, you don’t have time to be nice or polite.
You wear a cloak covered with many small feathers and precious stones, and Bracers of Defense (+2 AC).
Obsession: To show anyone who matters that arcane magic is the future and that divine magic is limited.
Cleric: Opposition, yours is not a competition, but a battle. Your magic is superior and they will know it.
Druid: Secret-Keepers, together you slew and ate a red dragon wyrmling in the hopes of gaining power, you did not. Ranger: Indebted, they saved your life and now owe life-altering favor. The terms are always shifting.