The World of Beris, Version II, the kidnapped
Beris, as a world, has ruins in many places. It is an old world, but the people have gone, they have left it an uninhabited world.
Or have they?
deep beneath the Dwarf Mountains there are civilizations struggling to survive, against each other, against nature, against monsters.
The Former Humans are trying to find routes to the surface, despite their promise to stay underground, and their twisted forms make them stronger and weaker both at the same time, their sight in daylight is severely restricted, but at night they see as well as their ancestors did in daylight.
The Dain Shee are the ones who dominate the underworld, their skins died golden by their environment, their skins unmarked by damage, or work, the Dain Shee are building an underground Empire, waiting for a signal to take the upper world again.
The Dwarfs are the only ones unchanged, but they are pitifully few, and hide in their Mines and Cities.
Meanwhile, some magic has kidnapped people from Millessia, and these people are trying to survive on an apparently uncivilized world.
It is the story of these unasked colonists that we will explore.
Plot points/Scenes
An Imperial legion has been sent to discover the process of mass disappearances in a region of the Empire, they are kidnapped and so have to set up a base on the new world.
They set up on a river and use magic to put a beacon in the sky to attract people.
They work out that, though they have evidence of many of the disappearances, they arrived near the first on the new world.
Adventurers come through, and are known to the Imperials.
The Colony begins, adventurers are used to seek artifacts and knowledge of the world and the people who were there originally. The Legion wants to know what lead the original people to leave.
The protagonists begin their investigation, and find certain artifacts that bring knowledge.
Protags find Giant Spiders, the Spithra.
Protags find an ancient creature that can fill in some blanks, also tells the party that Spithra are truly intelligent with a culture.
Colony leaders see Spithra as a resource, they are not people but monsters, as they have no humanoid form.
Protags will need to work out some way of changing the minds of the Colony leaders so that the Spithra can survive and prosper with the help of the colony instead of battling the colony.
when the process of assimilating/helping the Spithra is at its' height the characters will encounter the Former Men in a ruin.
The characters will be escorting a group of five hundred Dwarfs towards the mountains in the West, en route the Former men will attack each night, finally the Dwarfs will be in a days march of the mountains when a horde of Former men attack.
After the attack is fought off, and daylight comes, the party and the Dwarfs are able to gain the mountains.
A former Dwarf Mountain Fastness is found.
Searching the Fastness reveals infestation of former men. These creatures can be driven off, or killed, the heroes can also find a Dwarf King, driven mad by loneliness and loss. if his mind could be repaired he could tell of the length of history, and how the Humans, Elves, Gnomes and Hin fled underground, and how they changed to survive.
New Parrissia must be told that Former men are massing to attack the colony.
desperate rush to save the colony.
War ensues, Heroes are Heroes, and rewarded.
Former men are destroyed/rebuffed/conquered.
Then the Dain Shee come.
Defeating the Former men lead the Dain Shee to reveal themselves, they have manipulated the former men into attacking the surface dwellers, weakening both sides so that they can come in and take over
Themes
Loneliness, Desperation, Glory
Structure
Exposition
A war forged cleric is able to give information on the past, not a lot of the past but a good bit.
A sick old King of Dwarves provides the interim.
Former men can tell that they are from the upper world, but their Kings of Old changed them.
Dain Shee High Lords/Ladies know the truth.
Conflict
at first it is survival and growth, then it is war.
Rising Action
1st Rising Action, the Spithra are encountered, at first they are thought to be mere Giant Spiders, but signs show that there may be more to them. encountering the Soulforged will show the Spithra to be intelligent.
2nd RA: Colony leaders view the Spithra as monsters, not people, and thus will view them as blockages or slaves/pets. Heroes must change the view of the leaders to save the creatures.
2nd story
1st RA: heroes help Dwarves get to mountains to establish mines, during the travel the Former men are encountered and are driven off, several times.
2/2 RA: Dwarves Enter an abandoned mine and must clear it of Former men, finding a Dwarf King driven mad by grief and loneliness, he provides information on the FM.
2/3 RA: Party must race back to the colony to get it ready for an attack by the FM army that will try to overwhelm it and capture the citizens of New Parrissea to use as slaves.
3rd Book
3/1 RA: Former men begin raids, using guerilla tactics, and more magic, trying to steal food and land, Heroes find the new access point and battle ensues.
3/2 RA: FM are close to defeat when a new force, better armed and more magical, is revealed, Heroes are thrown back and the new force begins to advance, the Dain Shee have arrived.
3/3 RA: the Dain use forces from beneath the world to attempt to dislodge the Millessians, and, in fact, enslave them. Spithra forces are paramount in defeating the Evil DS
Climax
1st Book
Spithra are granted status as a protected people, considered Primitive but with potential.
2nd Book
Defeat of the Former Men and their army attacking New Parrissea.
3rd Book
Defeat of the Dain Shee, promotion of the Spithra to full People status.
Components
Moral Quandaries
Are the Spithra People, do people have to be human shaped or does form not truly matter, is what is important heart or form? mind or body?
2nd Book
The FM were once as human as the Millessians, they are now different, are they people? Are the Millessians invaders, accidental or otherwise, should they, morally, oppose the FM as the FM are the original owners?
3rd Book
not so much, same as in second book, but the DS are only interested in slaves and power.
Cruel Tricks
1st Book
many Spithra are killed before it is found out that they are intelligent.
Plot type
Survival and coming to grips with abandonement
Parent Plot
Related Characters
Related Organizations
Related Locations
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