Potentia Mundi - Blog Shout Out

I've been looking at the blog Potentia Mundi by Finn Cullen.  Finn has several cool BoL adventures posted there as well as a lot of material for the GUMSHOE system which includes Trail of Cthulhu.  He also posts under the name Finn at the BoL forum Champions of Lemuria.

The Children of Galdren 2

In the beginning, Tuharis, the Lady of Light, formed the Land from primordial chaos.  She then brought forth the first people to inhabit the land.  She created the first elf, Elion, from the wood of the trees and the first dwarf, Galdren, from the stone of the mountains.  Elion lived in the Great Forest with her children, learning the way of plants and nature, sky and water and about all, magic.  Meanwhile, Galdren founded the first dwarf home and delved into the secrets of the earth, creating wondrous artifacts and grand structures from the stones and metals, minerals and gems.  The Land was harmonious and all were happy.

All were happy, that is, except for Ahtarr, the Lord of Darkness and the twin brother of Tuharis.  Ahtarr loved chaos and strife.  He reveled in the primordial chaos and resented Tuharis for changing it and taming it, even a part of it.  Thus Ahtarr began to scheme.  Afraid to confront Tuharis directly, he began to introduce bits of chaos to the world in order to ruin the happy Land.  He brought forth monsters to prey on the people and to bring them fear.  He fashioned Dark Magic from chaos to warp and twist the unwary users' minds and souls.  And he created the goblins to kill the first inhabitants and to ravage the Land.  The quickly reproducing goblins were a particular threat to the long-lived but less prolific elves and dwarves.

Thus, Tuharis created humans to counter the threat of the goblins.  Humans had neither the great knowledge and magic of the elves nor the endurance and industriousness of the dwarves.  And they short-lived compared to both.  But the humans were supremely adaptable and reproduced much more quickly and were therefore very successful.

The human/elf/dwarf alliance eventually won the great Goblin Wars and drove the goblins to the far north beyond the Northlands.  But the alliance paid a great price.  The Land was ravaged and the forests were burnt and many died.  Without a common threat the alliance dissolved as each people looked to their own needs.  And Ahtarr took advantage of the situation to sow discord between the three.  And thus, though the Land has recovered, when Flametongue flew out of the north, the dwarves could find none to aid them (even their southern brethren it turns out.)

Today, the Land faces its greatest peril since the advent of the goblins.  Disunited and fragmented in the face of Firetongue in the Northlands and the goblins throughout the mountains, the three peoples and the Land itself may be destroyed.

Will heroes rise to face the challenge?

Next up, a bit about the inhabitants of the Land, their beliefs and customs and their view of the world.

The Children of Galdren

I have been pondering another setting/campaign/adventure, this one specifically for The Hero's Journey.  In fact, it was inspired by its cover and...well, you'll see.

Two hundred years ago the wyrm Flametongue descended from the North and attacked Goldhome, the great dwarven hold in the Northlands.  The dread dragon killed many and drove the few survivors from their halls and into the wilderness.  Many of the homeless dwarves tried to join Stoneheim, the remaining dwarf kingdom to the south.  However, their insular kin would not admit them.  With no support and little hope the survivors scattered to the points of the compass to find work and sustenance amongst the human kingdoms.  Dwarven metalwork was highly sought after and expatriates found good work in the smithies and foundries of man.  Though the dwarves found acceptance and work that they liked, few were ever truly happy.  No matter where they lived or how respected they were it was not and never would be their home.

Meanwhile, Firetongue settled onto his new hoard and rested.  With the bulwark of the dwarven kingdom removed and the dragon slumbering, goblins began to infiltrate southward through the mountains.  The trickle became a torrent when the goblins met no resistance and soon the mountains were filled with the wicked creatures.  Their eyes soon turned to the lowlands and they began raiding the petty human kingdoms and have managed to carve out small enclaves for themselves.  A few of the boldest have even ventured into the great forest of the elves.

This is how things stand today.  The human kingdoms, though threatened from without,  are too busy fighting amongst themselves to notice the plight of the border kingdoms, the elves turned their mournful backs on the world after the Goblin War of long ago and the remaining dwarf kingdom looks inward and downward, ignoring humans, elves and the goblin threat alike.  And, to make matters worse, there are rumors from the Northlands that the dragon is stirring.

All is not lost though.  A few astute humans, including one of the greatest wizards in the land, are attempting to raise awareness of the threat.  The elves have even sent an ambassador into the world to speak with humans on the matter.

And, some of the children of the exiled dwarves, raised on the stories of the glories of Goldhome, have started talking about taking "their" kingdom back.  Some even seek the advice and aid of the great wizard while trying to obtain the service human mercenaries and adventurers.  These young dwarves call themselves the Children of Galdren after the semi-mythical founder of Goldhome.

Adventure awaits.

Next time more history and a little cosmology.