My brother has moved in with me and my wife for a short bit from out of state and has a stack of D&D 3.5 books and asked me to setup a game or two. We muddled through as I tried to remember how to do things but the story was very impromptu and loose to allow something proper to be tailored in.
Here is my 5 minute build and "story" any ideas as to how to tie things in would be great.
Australian sized continent.
2 human factions
1 orc
1 elf
1 lizardmen
The land used to be owned by the elves for ages till humans landed and dug in to "save" them from a invading orc army. later A civil war splits the human empire into 2 empires.
They are now at peace, and in a Renaissance era of culture. The two empires are finding the cultural growth painful as minor lords attempt to gain power and scraps of land while the newly powerful guilds start trying to wrest power from the old nobility and ever watchful is the power of the churches attempting to instill themselves into places of power. Neither king is wiling to have open war but they both turn a blind eye to the schemes and skirmishes between the lesser nobles.
The elves are bitter over the humans coming in and stealing their land from the invading orcs and lizard men who attempted to claim the land for themselves while in the guise of "liberating" the overwhelmed elves.
The lizard men are focused in the north on a smattering of islands and will play little part in anything soon.
The orcs have dug into the mountains that ring the west side. Raiding parties happen but only those in the foot hills ever really worry about it.
The elves maintain their capitol to the SW in the deep forests and struggle to stop the expansion of the two human empires into their lands.
-------------------------------\The Game/-------------
1/2 elf sorcerer(PC) is hired to lead a group of 4 people to a ruins on the edge of the elf empire. They sport the symbol of the bloody lily(local lord) They have a blonde woman who is attempting to hide herself from view and does not speak. They only want to move under the cover of darkness and do not say anything about their true goals.
On the third day they are ambushed in the thicket they had hid in for the day. Well equipped Musketeers(Matchlock rifles), crossbowmen and swordmen swarm in and the group flees with the group leader forcing the PC on his horse while he defends the retreat so the girl can get to the meeting point. The ambushers are sporting the green boar symbol of a neighboring lord.
Frantic ride later and the PC/group is at a large city and in hiding – group leader is assumed Killed/captured.
Possible future plot-lines:
the PC's employees group having stolen something and he is on the wrong side of the law now.
The female is being recovered from being kidnapped/held ransom and the group had saved her.
She is being taken to the edge of the elven kingdom for some reason – perhaps to enter the elven kingdom for some reason.
I'd love to hear how you would go from there!
DZT
