11-15-2012, 02:53 PM
In my homegame, the Outer Ones are not exiled outside Mystara, but the Immortals are exiled in Mystara (if the Outer Ones were interested, they could come to Mystara, but... they are not very interested!)
The Outer Ones are the "definitive" beings (beyond good and bad, almighty, all-knowledgeable, motor immobilis, etc. etc. etc.) and the Immortals aspire to become like them (eventually...), but until then, the Immortals are condemned to prove themselves in this universe (that is a tiny bit of the dimensions of the Outer Beings).
The Egg of the Coot and similar (Burrowers etc.) are former exalted-type creatures associated to some Outer Being and have been left behind for some unknown reason by them. These life-forms (or mystic energy sources...) can be very different between them in power, activity and motivation (in fact, in one campaign the Nucleus of the Spheres was actually one of them, connected with the other-wordly technomancy powersource) and the Egg of the Coot is obviously resenting being left behind with no explanation (suspecting it wasn't deemed worthy enough) and releases in some way its rage and its mystic energy.
My "Blackmoor-related" campaigns were usually set in a time shortly after the departure of King Uther with back-stabbing political councils having the "real" power, even if some too young king or queen can be formally carrying the crown or maybe is gone away adventuring in incognito to come back later, once grown in age and power.
In that time the kingdom is bent on gathering gold and magic to hire adventurers and mecenaries to protect it from the countless external enemies (and of course there are plenty of internal enemies as well...).
My players usually started in a remote keep or, more often, in a remote colony similar to early Spanish colonies in the West Indies, with very harsh climate and environmental conditions (usually very hot, arid volcanic rock or broken lands - type), unknown sicknesses, with a mothercountry extremely greedy for gold, governors and viceroy concentrared just on the short term gain and career (to be promoted and go away as soon as possible from this hell), church representatives strict, dogmatic and pretty paranoid towards the others (but scheming and extremely greedy and corrupt privately).
The only connection with Blackmoor is a fleet that comes once a year to collect the gold and magic components (plants, magic ores etc.) and to bring new colonists and goods.
The same yearly fleet brings also new governors and viceroy, so maybe the PCs overcome a great crisis after the death of the governor and took de facto his place, just to find them substituted by a new governor that doesn't know anything about the local situation and that messes up everything...
The colony regularly fails every few years and it's re-started by Blackmoor, as the gold is too good.
One thing that happens regularly before the periodic failures of the colonies is Red Imps coming in a very harsh and desperate times and offering relief and refuge if some strange contract is signed with blood... :roll:
Eventually, somewhere near the colony (or under, or over, etc.) turns out that there is something similar to the Egg of the Coot / Burrowers (probably less powerful) that sends dreams, promotes crazy cults, sends bad weather (no rain for years, then terrible floodings, etc.), makes people crazy and violent, attracts enemies, etc. etc. the colony will never be stable and thriving until that's dealt with someway (creatively).
Typically that's the end of the campaign (or at least of the section of the campaign)...
The Outer Ones are the "definitive" beings (beyond good and bad, almighty, all-knowledgeable, motor immobilis, etc. etc. etc.) and the Immortals aspire to become like them (eventually...), but until then, the Immortals are condemned to prove themselves in this universe (that is a tiny bit of the dimensions of the Outer Beings).
The Egg of the Coot and similar (Burrowers etc.) are former exalted-type creatures associated to some Outer Being and have been left behind for some unknown reason by them. These life-forms (or mystic energy sources...) can be very different between them in power, activity and motivation (in fact, in one campaign the Nucleus of the Spheres was actually one of them, connected with the other-wordly technomancy powersource) and the Egg of the Coot is obviously resenting being left behind with no explanation (suspecting it wasn't deemed worthy enough) and releases in some way its rage and its mystic energy.
My "Blackmoor-related" campaigns were usually set in a time shortly after the departure of King Uther with back-stabbing political councils having the "real" power, even if some too young king or queen can be formally carrying the crown or maybe is gone away adventuring in incognito to come back later, once grown in age and power.
In that time the kingdom is bent on gathering gold and magic to hire adventurers and mecenaries to protect it from the countless external enemies (and of course there are plenty of internal enemies as well...).
My players usually started in a remote keep or, more often, in a remote colony similar to early Spanish colonies in the West Indies, with very harsh climate and environmental conditions (usually very hot, arid volcanic rock or broken lands - type), unknown sicknesses, with a mothercountry extremely greedy for gold, governors and viceroy concentrared just on the short term gain and career (to be promoted and go away as soon as possible from this hell), church representatives strict, dogmatic and pretty paranoid towards the others (but scheming and extremely greedy and corrupt privately).
The only connection with Blackmoor is a fleet that comes once a year to collect the gold and magic components (plants, magic ores etc.) and to bring new colonists and goods.
The same yearly fleet brings also new governors and viceroy, so maybe the PCs overcome a great crisis after the death of the governor and took de facto his place, just to find them substituted by a new governor that doesn't know anything about the local situation and that messes up everything...
The colony regularly fails every few years and it's re-started by Blackmoor, as the gold is too good.
One thing that happens regularly before the periodic failures of the colonies is Red Imps coming in a very harsh and desperate times and offering relief and refuge if some strange contract is signed with blood... :roll:
Eventually, somewhere near the colony (or under, or over, etc.) turns out that there is something similar to the Egg of the Coot / Burrowers (probably less powerful) that sends dreams, promotes crazy cults, sends bad weather (no rain for years, then terrible floodings, etc.), makes people crazy and violent, attracts enemies, etc. etc. the colony will never be stable and thriving until that's dealt with someway (creatively).
Typically that's the end of the campaign (or at least of the section of the campaign)...
He's a real Nowhere man, sitting in his Nowhere land,
making all his Nowhere plans for Nobody.
making all his Nowhere plans for Nobody.