Ravenheim.
Once the crown jewel of the Empire, a city of dazzling architecture, magnificent towers and temples, and marvels that rivaled any other kingdom. Ravenheim - a bustling network whose central location and port access to the Serpent River made it a prime trade capital.
Ravenheim - A sprawl of buildings, overhead walkways, cobblestone streets, and canals. A city of secrets and power and intrigue, where spies operated in the shadows, rogues ran elaborate schemes, underworld figures made fortunes smuggling contraband, cults gathered to worship their dark gods, and the nobility grew jaded and disinterested in the goings on of those beneath them.
That was before the Witchrock fell from the sky. It came without warning, a massive stone, stinking of sulfur and crackling with arcane energy. It exploded into the city, reducing portions of the once grand trade capital to rubble and sending a dark, and sinister wave of energy that rippled throughout Ravenheim.
When it was over, the city was transformed into a sagging, broken, crumbling shadow of itself. Now, a heavy pallor clings to the once magnificent structures. A thick, chill mist snakes through the streets, whispering vile promises and testing the sanity of those it comes in contact with. Broken pillars and collapsed buildings litter the streets and the shadows crawl with things that should not be. An ashen sky hangs over the city, keeping the sun at bay; eternal dusk in the city of Ravenheim. And the people? Nobody knows where they went. They simply…disappeared.
But now, three years after the fall of the Witchrock, alchemists have determined that deposits from the core of the stone, a substance they call Arcanumite, holds desirable magical properties. It can be used to power wondrous technological inventions that combine feats of engineering with magic. To this end, merchants have taken to hiring warbands to scavenge the city, finding and collecting deposits of arcanumite.
Warbands indeed, because skirmishes and battles occur between bands, vying for payday, because creatures lurk in the shadows, and strange happenings occur, seemingly wrought by the otherworldliness of the Witchrock.
Ravenheim, city of adventure. City of danger. City of promise. City of the damned.
Ravenheim, The Cursed City.
Ok, your characters will be part of a newly created warband who will work together to explore and navigate the cursed city. I’m figuring on, tops, 7 characters, probably…maybe… (so, if I don’t select your character, I apologize in advance! It’s always tough to select…)
Think dark and gritty fantasy renaissance period, with medieval/dark ages mentality…there are black powder weapons and magic does exist. The people believe in a pantheon of gods. Those who work magic not sanctioned by the Empire, what is left of it, are considered witches, sometimes linked to the cults who are blamed for bringing the Witchrock down upon the city.
Other races have taken to exploring the city as well, using the properties of the arcanumite in other ways. The Seethers (man-sized, intelligent rats) use it for its mutative properties. Orks ingest it to create uber-berserkers. The goblins scavenge and peddle it. Dark Elves use it to fashion stygian poisons. But there others…pirates, cutthroat mercenaries selling to the highest bidder, cultists, barbarians who want simply to loot, warbands from neighboring kingdoms, roving bands of undead, lizard men, and opportunistic dwarves…Ravenheim has attracted them all for their own reasons.
Only a strong warband can hope to find the treasures the city contains. Only a strong warband can hope to survive the cursed city.
We’ll write third person, present tense. I’ve included some archetypes to use as Natures, but I encourage you to create your own. Same with strengths, weaknesses, and subplots. I included the stock cards, but I encourage you to create your own.
Looking forward to exploring Ravenheim with you!
Hosted and narrated by:
J M (JPMcGee)
Started 06/01/14.
Scenes played: 3
License: Community License
