New Fantasy Setting Seeds.

[Astromancer]

The Book of Coming Forth by Day

Champollion has ruined us all.

Why do you gas on like this?

The Philosophes and the Natural Philosophers were bad enough. Now everyone is studying Egypt's dark arts.

"Dark Arts?" Now that we can read the hieroglyphs we can heal wounds in hours and regrow limbs in months. The blessings on our fields are flooding our markets with abundant food. Even beggars eat beef.


And as we grow rich we grow foolish, worldly, and insubordinate!

We were always all those things. Just now we're honest about it.



Romantics thought the enlightenment had been driven back. In spite of the upstart American Republic surviving most of Europe had learned to respect their betters. Then Champollion deciphered the Rosetta Stone and brought back the secrets of ancient Egyptian magic.

Once the Egyptian lore was revealed other secrets made more sense. Mystic secrets from Greece, Rome, Ireland, the Nordic lands, the Finmark, and laying forgotten in dusty libraries all over Europe and further afield. The Amercans learning the secrets of Native teachers, hearing the wisdom of Houdous and Root Workers, are gaining power as well. Mexico studying the Aztec lore with new eyes also gains mystic power.

Basically, this is a combination of Swashbuckling, espionage, and occult investigation. It's the bold new world of 1830! The secrets of the universe are up for grabs.

[Astromancer]

Far Lands of Wonder

This setting is an interstellar colony world. The ship carrying groups and supplies for several colony worlds had a disastrous misjump in deep space. Other than knowing that they are so far from Earth they can't tell where they are and knowing that they traveled backwards in time ( only possible with no form of control) the colonists have no clue as to when or where they are.

Luckily the colonists found a world extremely suitable for terraforming (Mars is only barely suitable for terraforming). By the barest they managed to create a shirtsleeve environment before most of their equipment wore out. However, as they moved out into the new environment they began to encounter mysteries. Strange animals were sighted in the distance. An impossibility on a terraformed world. Then they got a photograph of a cryptid! It was a...Griffin!

What the &%$#?

Then small children began to cast spells!

It's now generations after the first discoveries of magic. Wizards are becoming more powerful both because they've gained greater understanding of magic and because the larger human populations can actually use the more powerful and flexible wizards and Wizardesses.

Basically, it's a frontier with magic! The forests are fairly new, but then so are the dragons.

[Astromancer]

The Clock Restarted

This setting is a crossover of the GURPS treatment of the World of Darkness, space opera, and post-apocalyptic. Basically, all the endgames started happening at once. Mainly the Gehenna, the Wyrm's attempt to destroy the world, the return of the Formians, and the KotE Sixth Age (an East Asian apocalyptic scenario).

A powerful Hermetic threw everything into a deal with Wrinkle the most powerful paradox spirit of Time. Large numbers of Mages fled Earth and Wrinkle put Earth in a time bubble, frozen for 256 years. The Mage who made the deal was getting ready to hand himself over to Wrinkle, when large numbers of Black Spiral Dancer Werewolves, Sabbat Vampires, and Nephandi Mages attacked. Wrinkle laughed and make them never existent (cross Wrinkle and he makes you never exist in the first place). Wrinkle announced that "The idiots paid most of the debt. Now go make your plan work."

The Mages and the people they took with them have built human communities in deep space. Unlike present WoD there is no risk of discorperation, people can live and rise families in deep space. The Council of Nine and a large group of defectors from the Technocracy have formed the Council of Twelve. The Technocracy still exists. Multiple mages groups fled into deep space. Assume all mage groups that existed in the WoD still exist if they would choose to leave Earth to survive.

Many of the Horizon realms that existed before the third edition of Mage are basically planets in this setting. Humans are settled on many worlds. Those worlds most closely associated with the Council of Twelve generally have a Tech Level of Ten. Supertech, schizotech, and retrotech are not rare. Planets with less than fifty million people (unless those people are packed very closely together), can't have paradox other than that which comes from the Mage themselves. Casting difficulty is far lower on very low population planets.

The main plot action in this game is going to Earth and rescuing people. The 256 year stasis is over. The PCs are rescuing humans and some others from Earth. It's assumed that most PCs are mages and consors (close Mage allies). But other supernaturals are possible.

Paradox still exists on Earth, but it is weakening fast. Still paradox is a threat. The Antedeluvian Vampires want humanity as a whole to stay put. They need the blood and souls of billions to survive. Less powerful Vampires want to flee to the stars. The PCs are against both options. The Werewolves and other Gaian shifters need humans for breeding stock. Some might resist having human populations evacuated. Some might want to join the evacuation. Others might demand their own Starship. There will be groups of Mages that see keeping humanity on Earth a sacred duty. Others want only to save themselves or their little group and be glad to see the rest die. Commoner Changelings will want to go. The Sidhe nobility will be a serious issue because they need to rule. Wraiths will mainly want the living to go. Some will definitely try to get their Anchors taken along. Hunters will have multiple different reactions to evacuation. The Mercy creeds will help as will the Visionary Creed. Waywards and Hermits will attack and interfere. Zeal creeds will tend to be wildcards. The Defenders and Judges slightly favoring evacuation and the Avengers mainly assuming the Evacuation another snare.

Three new Spheres exist in this setting. The Sphere of Society, The Sphere of Information, and The Sphere of Metamorphosis, which I will explain elsewhere.


More later...

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The 256 year stasis is over.

What has the reaction to it been on Earth? It can't be concealed: the proper motions of stars will give it away, as will the sudden change in position of the planets, the sudden change of sunspots, and other astronomical phenomena.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by johndallman

What has the reaction to it been on Earth? It can't be concealed: the proper motions of stars will give it away, as will the sudden change in position of the planets, the sudden change of sunspots, and other astronomical phenomena.

Those that would notice it will be shocked. However, large areas of the planet are effectively a warzone. New Zealand, largely ignored by the most disruptive supernaturals, is one of the most normal places left, is aware of the time jump and how long the jump was to the minute. But most surviving astromers are busy with other things.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The Clock Restarted

This setting is a crossover of the GURPS treatment of the World of Darkness, space opera, and post-apocalyptic. Basically, all the endgames started happening at once. Mainly the Gehenna, the Wyrm's attempt to destroy the world, the return of the Formians, and the KotE Sixth Age (an East Asian apocalyptic scenario).


Three new Spheres exist in this setting. The Sphere of Society, The Sphere of Information, and The Sphere of Metamorphosis, which I will explain elsewhere.


More later...

The Council of Twelve is already accepted that it will become the council of seventeen later on. The additional five seats will be named for directions (North, South, East, West, and Center.) The Heremetics have agreed to accept African number symbolism. Sixteen, in West African numerology symbolizes totality. Seventeen represents the hidden powers of the world that complete the world and allow both growth and useful achievements.

During the evacuation, the Dreamspeakers and the Verbena took nasty blows. The two groups have consolidated together as the Lodge of Vision. The Lodge holds the seat of Spirit.

The former Progenitors now hold the Seat of Life and call themselves the Aescepalians.

The Order of Hermes gave the Seat of Forces to Iteration X who have reclaimed their old name The Artificers. Meanwhile, the Heremetics have taken the Seat of Society.

The Virtual Adepts have taken the Seat of Information, and given the Void Engineers the Seat of Correspondence.

The Seat of Metamorphosis is held by The Children of Knowledge . Being alchemists, this suits the children.

Two of the directional seats are occupied at this time. The Seat of the South is held by the The Ngoma and the Seat of the Center by the Wu-lung.

Both the Technocratic Union and the Disparates still exist. But both groups are weak and uncoordinated.

[Inky]

It sounds like, this might be a lot of work to run, with so many different factions of monsters as the enemy and the Mage set-up of even the laws of nature change depending on which Paradigm is most common in that area.

Still, it seems like, it could be kept within limits by just limiting how many different kinds of monsters the PCs encounter - they needn't all be on stage - and likewise the PCs would only be in one place with one set of laws of nature at a time (that might be more of an issue in the mage colonies than on Earth itself).

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Inky

It sounds like, this might be a lot of work to run, with so many different factions of monsters as the enemy and the Mage set-up of even the laws of nature change depending on which Paradigm is most common in that area.

Still, it seems like, it could be kept within limits by just limiting how many different kinds of monsters the PCs encounter - they needn't all be on stage - and likewise the PCs would only be in one place with one set of laws of nature at a time (that might be more of an issue in the mage colonies than on Earth itself).

True, the GM can focus the PCs on a particular class of issues. A group might focus on evacuating small rural towns. You'd be unlikely to run into either Vampires, Wraiths, Demons, or Mummies, in such places. Conflict with Shapeshifters and Mages would be far more likely. If you go to Paris to evacuate the Arcanum and empty the museums and libraries, you'll run smack into a Methuselah vampire (François Villon, the poet). Intrigue and negotiation will be the game.

By choosing the focus you limit your work.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The Clock Restarted

This setting is a crossover of the GURPS treatment of the World of Darkness, space opera, and post-apocalyptic. Basically, all the endgames started happening at once. Mainly the Gehenna, the Wyrm's attempt to destroy the world, the return of the Formians, and the KotE Sixth Age (an East Asian apocalyptic scenario).


More later...

Off Earth populations are low and scattered. The destruction of the Void Engineer space colonies at the start of Mage 3rd never happened. So those populations were available. As were the human residents of Horizon Realms. The human groups in the Near Dreaming also joined the new human communities. Still, with nearly a hundred fifty worlds settled, few have more than a few million people on them. Even with tech level ten robotics, Magery and Psionics, it won't be easy taking in Earth's billions. Many people assume failure to save the billions, but are determined to save who they can.

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The remnants of the Technocracy which rejected joining the Council generally have chosen to live on worlds that will take longer to Terraform. This means that their Sleeper populations have to stay put in the cities. With no place to run to the Sleepers have to obey the will of the Technocratic Union. The Technocracy proclaims this is for their own good.

Life on these worlds is comfortable but controlled. Think of the Village on the old TV show The Prisoner. The village was charming if creepy as hell. But no one suffered want of anything material. All had food, clothing, shelter, amusements, and basic services. No freedom, but it was an attractive and comfortable prison. A brutal prison, but with good food and creature comforts.

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The other Mages that left the Earth have settled worlds of their own. These tend to reflect their values and social culture.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

The Clock Restarted

This setting is a crossover of the GURPS treatment of the World of Darkness, space opera, and post-apocalyptic. Basically, all the endgames started happening at once. Mainly the Gehenna, the Wyrm's attempt to destroy the world, the return of the Formians, and the KotE Sixth Age (an East Asian apocalyptic scenario).


More later...

The Council mages have a base on the Moon. This base is under constant threat. Hostile Mages, Cathayan Vampires, Shifters, Changelings and others can travel through the Umbra or the Dreaming to get there. So the base can be a war zone at the srop of a hat. Only Cainite Vampires and Wraiths have serious limitations in going to the moon.

Multiple diplomatic visits occur weekly at the moon base. Powerful supernatural beings demanding to be taken to the stars or given starships. Most of these diplomats aren't especially diplomatic.

Groups of rescued humans and others are kept at the moon base long enough to sort out where to send them. Ghouls, Formoi, Thalains, and the like are also delt with here.

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There is a massive salvage operation going on. Vast numbers of cultural artifacts, vast amounts of information, samples of vast numbers of plants and animals are being gathered together. If the Earth is destroyed or changed beyond recognition, this might be humanity's last chance at these things.

Places with especially rich supplies of cultural artifacts tend to also have rich supplies of powerful supernaturals as well.

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The isolated nation of New Zealand has diplomatic relations with the Council of the Traditions. New Zealand is about the only nation that isn't in chaos and under attack. Thus it's an important base in the evacuation effort. Most New Zealanders deemed useless to the evacuation effort have already been evacuated to deep space.

More later.