I have been playing D&D for years, like most, and have enjoyed the immersive worlds my friends have created. I took a break to focus on work and life but recently I was involved in another campaign. The entire time I thought to myself, 'why have I never created my own story?'
I wanted to bring together so much of what I have enjoyed over the decades of games, movies, and stories. I have always loved the concepts a gamer can come up with; the worlds, rules, characters, and elements. Bringing these together and becoming the GODS of your own creation.
I want to share this adventure with the world. This blog will be the medium with which I share the tales of my heroes. As each week concludes I will create a new blog post with the previous week's progress.
I started with a list of elements I wanted in my campaign.
Spoiler Alert:
This may give away some things for my current party members.
Angels and Demons in an all out conspiracy to end mankind.
Portals to demonic worlds, each its own encounter.
Life after death. Purgatory if you will. Because whats better than fighting when your a ghost.
NPC encounters that will come full circle no matter the choices. Vengeance is always fun.
Impossible bosses that will need to be revisited.
Chance items for positive or negative effects.
Mythical Towns that have never been found. No not Atlantis, but close.
Magical tents. You know what i am talking about Potterheads.
END OF SPOILERS!
.....And this list continued to grow. But I needed to get the show on the road. Gathering a few newbies and some veterans to start on their characters I wrote my opener. Check out D&D - When Gods Give Up: Part 1 for how they reacted to this dream and the kick-off to my first campaign.
The lot of you walk in a dark musty room. The air filled with death and despair of those slain by the tragedies that have led you here today. As you gather a large crash of the gate from behind startles all of you locking you into the darkness of the room, except Morthos. As he stands calmly and stares down this endless room he realizes that this is it. This is why you left home. Why you thought “I am going on an adventure.” But that adventure was why you lost friends and loved ones. Why you five have bleed for each other. This adventure has been the terror of which you best survival skills have been tested. Those skills have brought you to this moment. But will they be enough? Morthos stands ready and yells “Ready yourselves. We fight to the last one stands.” as a dim light appears in the distance. You all hope this light is a means to the end. But as it grows in brightness and warmth you realize nothing good will come from this. In the distance a figure slowly appears, as if the room is hundreds of meters long. But its presence is right there...ith you. The light continues to grow. The silhouette increases but is still too far to tell who it is. All of you stand at the ready knowing that at any moment you will need to take action. The light continues to grow too bright for any of you to look directly. The heat starts to penetrate you armor. Your hands sweat as you attempt to maintain grip of your weapons. Light fills the room yet any details of where you are, go ignored. All attention is focused forward.
What could possess so much power? No sorcerer you know of, has this potential, no wizard. No living being. Some of you would never believe it. Some of you are skeptical of its existence. But then you see it. Your beliefs and understandings of life are thrown aside. As this entity spreads it wings filling most of the light it casts a shadow over the entire party, the room and beyond. Just as it becomes tolerable to keep your eyes on target the light shifts. Light bends around the angel as if this is the brightest eclipse ever seen. The darkness of the celestial giant consumes all the light. The room quickly darkens and with a crack of all the thunder ever heard around the world the Angel becomes illuminated. The brightness burns. Weapons, armor and gear become untouchable. Agony and fear sweep over the group. Everything about you hurts. Why us!?Why didn’t we prepare better.
As soon as it began it ends. All is gone. The heat, the light, the room. But most importantly the pain. You all stand together in a circle, facing each other. But nothing else exists. White continues endlessly. As you think about saying something a figure appears in front of you. But this one is different. Better. More relaxing and less strenuous. As the figure begins to take shape you feel this overwhelming love and comfort. It is the most beautiful creature you have ever seen. Everything about it is perfect. Even the way you feel as you stare.
“All of you are the world’s only hope. You must succeed here today or all of humanity will spend the rest of eternity in torment and fire. What you have experienced is only an image of what could, but I can help you to change the outcome. You must work together, find the weapons of the Gods and defeat my bother and his legion of followers. Only then will this world, and the next, be safe. Some of you may think you are not the ones for this quest. But each of you are wrong. You have lived a life of simplicity not knowing what you truly are. Help this world and you will learn there is more about each of you then you could image.”
“You must meet in Wolmad's Camp. They are in need of help. Find Dugarth the angry Dwarf. He will set you on the path and will help as needed. But tread lightly. He is unaware of the unholy terror that is about to plague this land. Now wake, but this time you will not forget what will happen.”
You wake in your homes. Just the way you remember going to sleep. But inside there still is a lingering pain as if your soul was singed by your failures. And the words of the gorgeous angel echo in your ear, "Prepare as you wish and take your paths."