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Welcome to an Age of Heroes

In Taara's wake the earth crumbled. Gods fell, others rose, and the race of mankind looked forward and saw the destruction of nations. For five years, necrotech seared the world's landscape and forces unknown decimated the once-insurmountable Walls of Charn. Nations turned against one another with the vanishing of monarchs--brother to brother and kin to kin. During the struggles, the nation of Dragonier attempted to keep the peace before it, too, fell. Other nations threatened to follow.

Now returned from the Mists, Alexandria finds itself thrown into a world in turmoil. In this world, the Pantheon of Light stride forward in anger, the Twilight fall into debate, and the forces of Darkness are locked in a war between Maugrim and Taara. High arcana soars over the landscape with the renewed activity of the Old Races, while guilds and organizations struggle to find their footing with the fall of Rune. The sildanyar and khazad have moved forward into the world once again, driven by the perceived neglect of the world by humankind.

The world had waited for the return of Alexandria and the return of the Myrrish and Bludgun kings for five years--only to find Alexandria suddenly returned unchanged, and unknowing, from the Land of Mists. To Alexandria, the War of Sendor is just days past. To the world--

It is the time for heroes.

Current Meta-Arc

Nations gathered in Alexandria, and peace was on the table. In front of them lay the tantalizing dream of world peace after an international war. The kings of Myrddion and Bludgun stood ready to shake hands as the world celebrated, despite the recent loss of the god Animus (by Taara's hand) and it seemed all would be well again.

However, as the kings met in Alexandria, the dark goddess Taara struck again and threw Alexandria into timeless Mists. Myrddion swiftly fell to cold civil war from the loss of its king. Its two heirs fight one another for the throne, each with a different set of ideals. Thanks to Taara's influence and Thul's agreements, Charn followed suit. Rune soon fell, and Dragonier--the powerful nation of dragon and mortalkind, was suddenly gone, crushed beneath the claws of then-unknown Heth. A mighty Void Dragon, Heth would slaughter man, woman, hatchling, and child and transform the once great nation into a nation of wights and undeath. Scholars would term these troubled years as the Rise of Shadows, after the dark goddess who had acted as such a powerful catalyst for mortal greed.

The worst was yet to come.

Alexandria returned five years later to Shadow's ruins...to Alexandrians, it had been a mere five weeks. With Alexandrian's "sudden" return, rumors and accusations began to fly. Worse, the kings were gone. Aged and respected monarchs, their absence is felt keenly and for a time, the world would blame Alexandria. Other forces would begin take advantage of this confusion...merchants, nations, and even cannibal spirits.

Our current arc begins with these echos of Taara's Rise of Shadows and their effects across the planes of the world. The greed of mortal and immortal alike has answered her thunderous call, and the world suffers. From his throne of bones, Heth flexes his wings and lies ready to lay waste to nations around him. A great Void Dragon of unknown power, the undead hordes at Dragonier's once-wonderous borders stir restlessly beneath his command. To the great north the Dranei warlord, Arendt, calls his fellows to raise their axes to reclaim Dran's honor. They cite the injustice of the fall of a Khan at Dragonier's hands...yet with that nation gone, there is no one else for them to turn their rage against. Now, Rune faces the bulk of the barbarian hordes, its barbarians, its witches, its giants, and mammoths. Both sides draw in alliances, draw on blood and steel, and other nations may look to join the conflict. Even Stormgarde sees visions of a great and unified North, independent of meddling southlands and wizards.

Until these acts, both Dran and Rune had been forces in containing Heth's expansion... Now Heth draws back his claws to strike, and yet other forces rise up, perhaps inspired by the goddess of avarice. A face not seen for ages, the Demon Binder Asumit, would use the chaos to become a god. He holds in one hand the Book of Darkness, and the other a vision of Hell.

Now more than ever, it is a time for heroes.

Recent Website Updates

Fri Feb 27, 2015

Goodbye, Spock

You will be missed.

Mon Feb 2, 2015

+SOTD

Curious for a place to RP? Want to try something new? Try our new and exciting Spot of the Day! Typing +sotd will send you to a random locale,possibly secretly set by gremlins! This location will update every 24 hours.

A big thanks to Whiteout for this great new tool. :3

Your Tenebrae Staff

Small Stories Rewards!

We have really been listening to your feedback on this one. Short story examples, such as Aspect stories, Mentoring stories, and so on are now included, and the breakdown is shorter and sweeter than before.

We have also sorted out rewards: a level 10 PC for example, could earn 2400 xp and 3 RPP for completing one, once a month, in addition to the RPP they'd earned on the way. Oh, and treasure, too.

Rewards are limited to once a month per player, not character.

Calendar Reminder

As you all know, we keep all our IC Holidays on the +events. Sometimes, people feel a little leery of tackling doing things with these themselves. Please don't hesitate. If you have a fun idea for Kegger Fest (come on, it's Kegger Fest), do it. Same for Deathwatch. If you have any concerns, approach a member of staff directly. We'll help you out!

Wed Jan 28, 2015

Backgrounds!

Batman began somewhere. Though that moment in the alleyway is not the sum of who he is, it is a part of it--a reason that he's who he is, today. Backgrounds in a sense, are like that--not the definition of a character, but a beginning.

We're inviting you to share yours. Bring it up in discussion, share it at the Gaming Table, ask questions of others.

As a MU, staff will be implementing a 10% bonus to PrPs which make use of another character's background tale. The goal behind this is to encourage sharing stories, and providing greater opportunities for your character's development.

This is a new mechanic, so we'll be seeing how things go, of course.

Thu Jan 8, 2015

Legwork Scenes?

This is a heads-up that I'll be doing a more personal workshop on legwork-based scenes, also known as extended scenes, 'find your own party scenes,' and so on. I'm not certain of the date yet--this is more a declaration of intent.

So, what are they? Legwork scenes tend to:

• Involve judicious use of a single, very long +job queue
• Involve mixed levels
• Be more roleplay-dependant, though this does not exclude combat
• Involve and encourage more planning, intrigue, problem-solving
• Possess a looser schedule than traditional scenes

Previous examples have been:

• Getting together to sabotage some of Arendt's army
• Getting together to do retcon on a political figure
• Arranging a funeral for a dragon in Am'shere
• ...etc.

In the meantime, I'll be looking for specific questions or ideas you'd like see addressed or shared, as well as general interest: that is, is there any?

Wed Jan 7, 2015

Flaws!

Hi all!

Some of you were about when we announced the potential of Flaws for Tenebrae. Well, Flaws have now entered playtest to see how they'll hold up. We've added some guidelines to keep them friendly, and within what we feel is the Tenebrae spirit, as well as a few additional rewards for taking and developing them for a character.

If you're interested in the playtest, please contact Staff if you need help and peruse our wiki for additional info. These are merely in testing as an idea. :)

Tenebrae Staff

New Monster Templates

Heth is power unseen upon Ea since its greatest age. The wights of Dragonier, it is said, are an extension of his will.

So, undeath just got a little boost, and adventurers' paychecks just got a little bigger.

We're pleased to announce new toys for our plot runners! From soul-eating undead to empowered ghasts, please feel free to use these to give your players a great big...hug.

• Devourers and Dread Devourers
• Dread Ghost templates
• Dread Ghast Templates

These may be found by visiting: World > World Bestiary.

Your Tenebrae Staff

Release Package 14

Hello all,

I would like to announce the release of our latest information package of shiny and new things! While there are new things from the MI section of Ultimate Equipment, for sanity of staff we are releasing this information in chunks. Don't worry, more will come soon in time as we are able to. Please remember to keep to our Wiki for what is approved and coded into the game. The full list of this package is as follows.

• A number of new MIs from Ultimate Equipment in Belts, Body, Chest, Eyes, Feet and Hands
• A fix for nobility domain!
• An update to Unit Tactics

As always with new content, expect there may be an update or two as things adjust. In the meantime, if you'd like to swap for any of these new items, please send a +request to staff.

Your Tenebrae Staff

"The roads shall be painted teal!" announced the maddened hobgoblin king. And lo, his subjects bowed before him, and all roads from Hither to Yon became teal with bright green roses.

Recent Rumors in Alexandria

Korday, Aestry 2, 1017

Royal Pregnancy

...but the King of Dun Mordren then announced that his wife was with child. Spontaneous celebrations have erupted throughout the city, with tankards of ale for all, and are expected to continue for the duration of the summit.

At the Charn Ambassador's Residence

It was very quiet for some time before he exited. A rush of activity then began, with a very worried look Charnish ambassador being seen in a few different places in town, collecting various expensive items from Dun Mordren's merchant's. /Very/ expensive items, in the range of many thousands of gold pieces spent.

He has not been seen since.

Gilday, Firetide 24, 1017

Thieves Arrested in Dun Morden

There are a great many parties in Dun Mordren right now. This is, after all, a once in a generation sort of affair.

One of those parties was run by a man named Alvik Veps, from Stormgarde. It was there that he was struck by a group of thieves pretending to be musical entertainment, and there that those same musical entertainers compelled them to dance until they could force them to give up their goods. When, believe it or not, a GIANT WOLF arrived on the scene and startled them, the magical instruments ceased their playing and the spell broken. One of the thieves was killed on the spot by the offended Stormgardian host. The others were tracked down and arrested by the Dun Mordren guard, heroes all.

The stolen property is being sorted and returned.

Tariday, Firetide 23, 1017

Mass Gnomery

There was quite a commotion on the Path of Kings today. A pair of gnomish artificers attempted to stealth their way to the King of the Dwarves to petition him for assistance with a problem at a power station for Dun Mordren by transforming everyone ELSE into a gnomes. So they'd blend in better.

This did not work.

The two gnome have been arrested and the power station has been said to be secured. What's unusual, though, is that the power station was ever in jeopardy in the first place.

Dun Mordren's Geothermal stations are usually heavily guarded.

Ceriday, Firetide 20, 1017

Confrontation on the Iron Plaza

Rumors are swirling amongst the foreigners and locals alike about an odd confrontation between several foreigners and one of Dun Mordren's local merchant house representatives.

Apparently, the Secure Panacea trading company approachd Ambassador Harshstone, one of the sons of the missing Bludguni' ruler noted for having overthrown the former leadership at the tail end of the Sendor war, who is now missing and presumed dead alongside the Myrrish King when the mists that consumed Alexandria overtook them.

Offering help to Harshstone to try to locate his feather, the representative was assailed by at least one Giantborn who declared through personal experience that the Secure Panacea is a snake in the grass and is behind a great many nefarious things.

Speaker Aliv, the Panacea representative, was unable to make headway with his offer to the Ambassador, and has been, according to a Panacea statement, reassigned.

Gilday, Firetide 17, 1017

The Legend of Grat

"Grat, you say? Never 'eard of 'im."

"You woulda to hear it, I says, lad. Them crazyfolks came in here last night. Says they were up in the haunted hills, inside the old tombs," The elder Dran says. A crook prods the sheep onward.

"Horse dung," the younger replies. A cloth comes out of his pocket, wiping a sweaty forehead.

"Aye, that's what Thagraan says too. That blue lizard comes in with outlandish tales, fighting the walkin dead. Talks of ancient ruins north a da plains. Thagraan didn't believe a word of it, even after that large Dranei with 'em said so. He was there! Fought! Saw it with his own eyes."

***

"And how much did they drink before they started you. Nay, how much did you drink till you beleived em?" The one rider begins. His eyes still scanning the road.

"You can't believe anything they told you. They had one of them Rune wizards with 'em," a second one interrupts.

"Aye, the fat one! Once Thagraan had enough of the whole thing, him en the boys hoisted him up. Tossed him right into that blue lizard. The third finishes."

***

"And then the walls came crashing in! My da says, that they says that the walls, they were big and grey, covered in bones. The walls, they started to crush them all," the little girl happily follows her sister.

"Mmmhmm," the older girl says, putting eggs from underneath the chickens into a basket. "Not like they had any proof."

***

"At's just it. the older dran saysm "They brought back a hammer, 'ell of an earthbreaker."

The bartender pours the old man another drink, wilently.

"Couldn't get much of a look from underneath your bar, eh? You shoulda seen the look on Thagraan's face when that hammer shocked 'im good. Or the look on his face when that woman put 'im in an arm lock that nearly made im cry. Made im apologize to the other mountain lookin Dranei."

***

"But this Grat guy. He went through the whole place where these foreigners were? All by himself?" the young man says to another.

"All on his own, met his death there, fightin. Goin down against his enemies like a Dran should. the other man nods. "Heard it with my own ears."

"Hmm," the other replies, thoughtfully looking to the plains, and his horse.

Ceriday, Hattanan 30, 1017

Nighthawks

The wreckage of the Guild of Explorers is still smolderijng, but already things have begun to disappear from the site as they're reovered, passed into the wrong hands, no doubt. The Guild's leadership, what survived, is already working to establish a temporary location and the guards at hte site have been doubled, but it seems likely that a number of things that nobody wants loose in the city will, in fact, wind up loose in the city.

OOC: Feel free to throw PRPs or random grid bits down with this!

Kesenday, Hattanan 29, 1017

Adventurer's Guild Destroyed

The Warehouse District was rocked by an explosion recently, destroying the Adventurer's Guild and killing many. However, were it not for the adventurers milling about nearby waiting for jobs to be posted, the death toll would have been vastly higher than it is. Search and rescue among the wreckage continues, and rebuilding efforts are likely to be underway soon. Still, this does leave the city's staunchest Guilds might without a home, and the loss of whatever was inside its storages is probably incalculable. Since it has yet to be determined who set off the explosion, and why, rumor and speculation is rampant.

And That's Not All...

It becomes apparent over the course of the day that the Guild of Explorers has been under siege. Numerous groups of adventures were sent out and many returned with heavy casualties, and some did not return at all. War has been waged on the Guild of Explorers this night and the results speak for themselves.

The city Council is in meeting with the Guild hierarchy who survived the detonation, and more is sure to come.

With the summit nearly here, the timing can not be a coincidence.

Gilday, Hattanan 27, 1017

Bomb Detonated in Ox-Strength

A bomb recently went off in the Ox-Strenght tavern, injuring several patrons, but killing none. Perhaps an Oxley's debt finally caught up with him, or someone doesn't like Myrana Jn'rajh?

Noted Performance Troop Visits Alexandria

A troop of gnomish performers have taken the Flightwright by storm lately. With a flashy performance, strong vocals and coordinated acrobatics, in trench coats no less, the shows are nearly sold out.

A Flightwright spokesperson confirms the exclusive contract.

Just outside the reknowned theatre, the following lyrics can be heard evenings:

Sparklepires are alive

The legends have to survive!

We'll never come undone!

And we will be forever young!

Reportedly, the act is "pulling out all the stops"!

Tariday, Hattanan 17, 1017

Recalled from the Countryside

The perceptive may notice that the Temple of Daeus seems quietly busier than usual over the next couple of days, heading into weeks, with a great many priests quietly arriving and then departing back out into the countryside. Whatever's going on, it seems to be something specific to the Daeusite church.

Tariday, Hattanan 12, 1017

Earthquakes in Rune

Over the next few days, several minor tremors hit Rune. While there are concerns about Dran and sapping efforts again, or armies of Earth Elementals, Parliament acknowledges it's own responsibility, saying that the tremors are part of a new project that will serve to strengthen Rune's defenses.

Korday, Hattanan 7, 1017

Trouble and Terror

"What? She WHAT?"

From sailors to laundryworkers to bricklayers, Lower Alexandria is awash with gossip.

"Married? Are you--"

"I saw that lizard paladin and some others escort them off. They're out in a cottage somewhere, in the country."

"Who?"

"The owner of the Ox--Myrana? And Lady Sandiel! Married! To eachother!"

"Trouble and Terror!" roars the sailor, laughing. "Well, I'll be!"

Posted by Svarshan

Tariday, Hattanan 5, 1017

Overheard at Arendt's Headquarters

"...why exactly are these cookies shaped like coffins, anyways?"

"No idea."

(Blame Kerbasy)

Korday, Bernfleur 30, 1017

Sith-makar Through the Gate

The Sith Makar have arrived in force through the rift that is shared with Alexandria. Hundreds of them have rather suddenly appeared on this side and are now marching, en masse, through the countryside towards the Spell Cannon. They too set up an encampment there. It's a rather shocking sight, but it would appear that the site of the cannon is now /extremely/ fortified. Given that the a treaty was signed between Alexandria and the Empress of the Tribes of the Sith-Makar in Am'shere, it is taken as a clear sign that the Sith nation itnends honor its obligations. How long they'll remain, or why they've been called to the cannon so suddenly, remains tob e seen.

Tariday, Bernfleur 28, 1017

Doubled Guard on the Spellcannon

A large number of soldiers have been dispatched to he Planar Disjuntion Cannon. While the Council assures everyone it's just a 'training exercise', there can be little doubt that the Council believes some kind of threat to it is imminent and is taking precautions.

Korday, Bernfleur 23, 1017

Demons Attack Dran!

Rune has stooped to a new low in desperation against the mighty armies of the Iron Tide, unleashing horrific demons to strike at a peaceful encampment of civilians deep within Dran territory! The demons slew a great many civilians, emerging from a cleverly concealed tunnel dug by Runish forces with the aid of their magic.

Dran condemnes these foul, dishonorable tactics with all it's might and has put down the demonic soldiers with great haste.

Rune swiftly denies these allegations, claiming that Dran unleashed the demons on itself while fooling with powers they did not understand, much as Dran always has and always will.

"The Iron Tide is made up of fools following a fool," they say.

Note: We'd fallen behind on postings due to some overhead, so about 2 months' of rumors are missing.

Gilday, Vhast 28, 1017

Another assassination attempt!

Word from the Iron Tide comes swiftly: there has been an assassination attempt on Arendt himself! The assassins appeared with a flash of fire and magic, lunging at him in the middle of his nightly tea. He was able to fend them off, bravely, until the Raven Guard could get into place.

These assassins now have a similar bounty on them to the one posted for the alleged assassination attempt on the Grey Gore. While casualties were high, Arendt has emerged wounded and suffering from the effects of poisoned blades, but alive.

Descriptions floating about sound an awful lot like Jareth, Tatyannah, Kerbasy, and Cesran.

In a statement, Arendt suggests that the assassins have since fled with Rune's assistance to lick their wounds in Alexandria, 'a home to vile cowards who aid and abet the enemy without daring to engage on their own'. He's begun calling for a trade embargo against the city-state 'until these criminals are handed over to the proper authorities' for trial and judgement.

Posted by Whirlpool

Surrenders in Rune

No, Rune is not surrendering, but several contingents of Dran warriors have, as of lately, surrendered to their outmatched Runic Parliamentary Guard. Why? No one is exactly sure, but some point to the new banners that several units have been equipped with that have been persuading Dran soldiers to drop their weapons, flee, or otherwise get in the way of their lines. Some sort of compulsion magic is suspected. It's only a matter of time before Dran figures out how to respond. Rune in no way can hold onto a large number of prisoners and many have already escaped, while others were simply released aftter swearing an oath to Angoron and Kor that they would not rejoin the fighting. A few high value targets have already been taken for interrogation and no doubt that will pay dividends.

((This is the result of an action began by Selerik. A big thanks to him and everyone who helped it along, as well as Inferno!))

Posted by Whirlpool

Tariday, Vhast 27, 1017

Elessa's Willy-Nilly Stabbings

"Have you seen the young lady?" The phrase is repeated discreetly throughout the city, by a wizened-looking Vardamen. Old, with a beard to his chest, he wobbles down the street, a traditionalist on a mission.

"Yes, we'd heard about her new profession...it has everyone concerned...this sort of loose canon...you know, spreading death willy-nilly. There are forms to be filled out, paperwork. Prayers. ...rites to observe, and purification rituals. ...Is she notifying the next of kin?"

"...do you know where I could find her? We need to have a talk about procedures."

The Vardamen are on the lookout for Elessa, it seems, "in light of the young woman's new career choice, and new, cavalier attitude towards death."

They wish to make sure she knows how to pray properly, within her new line of work. And is aware of laws. Which she should be following. And apparently needs to hear about. There may also be purification rituals involved, and the memorization of long prayer-forms.

Also, they haven't seen her in Temple, lately. What's up with that?

Posted by Lahar

Variday, Vhast 26, 1017

Attempted Assassination!

Rumors from Dran come streaming to the ALexandrian community of adventurers. There has been an attempt on the life of the Grey Gore, one of the leaders of the Iron Tide, and a central figure in maintaing healthy relationships between the Tide and the giants of Dran's mountains. Rumors indicate a young Tsuran woman murdered the Grey Gore's body guards and that only the leader's 'stnregth in the might of Kor and studious attention to omens' warned him of her approach. He was able to drive her off.

Fingers are already pointing at Rune and Alexandria for such an underhanded effort, and what's worse, the description (and large bounty attached for her apprehension) will remind all who know her of Elessa.

Posted by Whirlpool

Korday, Vhast 16, 1017

Temple Quarantine!

The Vardaman Temple went into lockdown recently. Contacts with the temple report quarntine, through 'some wizard gone mad, again.' Some adventurers were reported heading into the Temple before the doors closed. Reports give it anywhere from one to three days before things re-open.

Posted by Kerbasy

Gilday, Vhast 14, 1017

Felwood Expedition

An expedition to the felwoods was made by a group of adventurers the other day. They were tasked in retrieving the body of a lesser noble. It is said that he died due to foul demons.

When the adventurers return, they didn't bring along a body. There was no body to retrieve anymore. A signet ring was offered, and this was enough for the noble family to find closure.

(For more information, talk to: Lothos, Rhar, Sentry H-U, Flicker, Cesran, and Godwyn)

Posted by Benthus

Gilday, Vhast 7, 1017

Fang and Ice

A farming village near the Eldwyn was menaced by a small pack of wargs, driven by a large, winter wolf alpha. Some livestock had been lost, but a call for help placed with the Adventurer's Guild seems to have come just in time. While the village is safe for the moment, news of the winter wolf's unnamed 'master' leaves the village wary of future reprisals. For the moment, however, peace has settled in time for the planting season to begin. (For more information, or just a good story, speak to Dain, Belladona, or Alba)

Posted by Alba