Campaign Primer

World History and Campaign Overview: Rogue Odyssey

Avalon, the cradle of civilization, is a planet steeped in ancient magic and home to the many races that would eventually come to dominate its world and others under the banner of the Eternal Empire. Legends claim that Avalon was shaped by divine entities, its land imbued with powerful Ley Lines, natural reservoirs of magical energy. Ten thousand years ago, Merlin, the first Sage of Avalon and founder of the Eternal Empire, alongside his most trusted scholars and knights, achieved an extraordinary feat that changed the course of history. By unlocking ancient secrets and uncovering the natural flows of arcane energy beneath Avalon, they activated the ley lines, channels of pure magical power crisscrossing the planet. This activation caused a magical revolution, empowering Avalon with unmatched arcane potential. The ley lines became conduits of energy at their nexuses, fueling advancements in magic, technology, and society. They enhanced the potency of spells, allowed for the creation of magical infrastructure, and became the foundation of the Empire's dominance. This event, known as the Arcane Revolution, marked the beginning of Avalon’s ascent as the heart of the Kagoma System and the Empire's rise to power. At its height, the Empire stretched across Avalon’s continents, ruling with an iron fist, enforcing its laws through magic, military, and economic power. Its arcane knowledge and command over powerful sorcerers allowed it to maintain control over vast lands and conquer rebellious territories. As the fields of magic and technology advanced they became intertwined, birthing the creation of Magitech which fundamentally changed civilization, giving rise to the first Spelljamming Ships that could travel to other worlds.
Eventually the Empire's ambition and advancement came with a cost - the Empire was met with their first great war eight thousand years ago. In the "First Crusade" as it became known, Merlin led the first imperial spelljammer fleet against the great Titans, a race of primordial giants inhabiting the neighboring planet Oberon. This bloody war raged on for nearly two centuries, until finally it ended in a catacalysmic blast which wiped out all life on Oberon - leaving the planet uninhabitable to this day. The culmination of the Empire's magitech had led them to develop a great weapon of mass destruction, which was seen as a great victory for the Empire - all except for Merlin, who instead mourned the great misuse of magic. The years following, Merlin was said to have become increasingly reclusive as well as discontent and even defiant of imperial politics. A decade later, Merlin unexpectedly left Avalon aboard a spelljamming ship of his own design - rumoured to have been headed beyond the Outer Rim, nobody ever saw him again. However, upon departing Merlin uttered a powerful spell which enchanted the asteroid field surrounding the inner planets with a powerful cosmic storm, preventing travel through it - a dangerous area of wildspace, now known as Merlin's Belt. Disarray followed in Merlin's absence, however over time the Empire continued to grow and prosper under a new regime. Though limited by Merlin's belt, this obstacle was but a distant concern for now as the Empire still had more than enough resources available to pursue their ambitions.
Five thousand years ago, the Empire's continued advancement in magitech has led to the creation of living automatons, known as Warforged - among many other variants, both free thinking and subservient. As the advancement of artificial intelligence reached its apex, rogue AI began to turn against the Empire - prompting the second great war, or the "Second Crusade". This time without the leadership of Merlin, the Empire could also no longer rely on their magitech to defeat the rogue machines because the AI had infected imperial technology with anti imperial directives. Instead, the Empire had in secret developed weapons of advanced magic and necromancy called Biomorphs, which were used in the nearly three hundred year war against the machines. As the war came to an eventual conclusion, all rogue AI were destroyed and replaced with next generation warforged, who were this time given sentience and free will but treated as citizens of the Empire - albeit lower class to organic life forms. As the use of magitech and Warforged became more common in imperial society, so too did organic races start to augment their own body with tech - be it a mechanical arm, or a new set of eyes. Although this level of magitech has entered mainstream society, it is still tightly regulated by the Empire in fear of repeating the past.
As Avalon’s cities grew into sprawling megastructures, so too did the need for resources to maintain the Empire’s expansion and lifestyle. The ruling classes of Avalon saw its moon Orpheus as the answer. Orpheus has always intrigued the people of Avalon - it is both habitable and rich in resources: rare minerals, magical plants, and valuable commodities vital to the Empire. Three thousand years ago, the Empire launched a grand colonization project, sending fleets of ships to establish colonies on Orpheus. The colonization effort came at a cost however - Imperial nobility, determined to protect their lofty positions on Avalon, devised a system of servitude where the lower classes of imperial society would be sent to Orpheus as Indentured Servants (colloquially called "indents"), bound by contract to work off their debt to the Empire. These Indents, however, found themselves in a near-permanent state of servitude, as the Empire often manipulated contracts to ensure that freedom remained a distant, unattainable dream. Though they were promised eventual freedom, few ever saw it, as most perished in the harsh conditions. Even indents who survived or had managed to work their way up in rank, were kept bound by ever-growing debts and obligations to their masters.
The United Colonies were established as an arm of the Empire to oversee the imperial colonies off world. On Orpheus, cities sprung up around resource-rich regions, controlled by imperial System Lords. Here, the Indents worked the land, mining, farming, and extracting magical resources to be sent back to Avalon. While the United Colonies flourished under the Empire's watchful eye, resentment festered among the Indents. Some longed for freedom, tired of the endless labor and broken promises. Hidden among the settlers, secret societies and rebel groups began to form, driven by the desire to escape the Empire’s oppressive rule. This rule was enforced by implementing a magical contract, usually at birth, for all indents - where an imperial sorcerer imbues the indent with a rune like tattoo referred to as a "Shackle", which displays your debt to the Empire as well as allows the Empire to track your movement. These magical devices cannot be removed except through an illegal ritual, the Rite of Severance, which is a dangerous and forbidden process to break the shackles’ bonds and carried out by rogue sorcerers. Failing this ritual can have devastating consequences for both the Indent and the practitioner. Those that are caught breaking the law or try to escape, are hunted down by an elite force of bounty hunters known as Imperial Inquisitors.
You will begin your journey as Indents, enslaved workers transported to a new work location on the outskirts of the Empire’s control, near the Wildlands of Orpheus. You are bound by magical shackles that display your debt to the Empire and track your every movement. The region you are heading to is dangerous, fraught with hostile creatures, rebel factions, and of course the Empire. Whether you accept your fate, seek to escape, or join the rebellion - your choices will shape your future.

Character Knowledge and Starting Location

Key Themes and Concepts

• Magic is tightly regulated by the Empire, and those who practice it outside the approved channels are hunted down. Magical knowledge is tightly gaurded and regulated through imperial academic institutions. Using magic which causes damage of any kind is usually required to have a permit (regulated similarly to how a firearm would)

• Rebellion is brewing in the Wildlands, with factions resisting the Empire's rule.

• The Indents' lives are not their own, as they are constantly monitored and controlled by their magical shackles. Escaping servitude is a dangerous and costly path.

• This is a mixed fantasy setting, meaning that traditional style weaponry coexist alongside things like basic firearms. New class options have been added to accommodate this - see Classes & Subclasses.

• In order to become a crew member of a Spelljammer Ship, a player must have the Vehicle (Spelljammer) proficiency. See Backgrounds, Proficiencies & Feats for more.

Current State of Orpheus

The present-day Orpheus is a world of stark contrasts. The United Colonies are bastions of order and civilization, built on the backs of the Indents, who labor to extract the moon’s wealth for the Empire. The colonists, ruled by a small class of Avalonian aristocrats and System Lords, live in relative comfort compared to the Indents, but they too chafe under the constant demands of their rulers on Avalon. Beyond the safety of the colonies lie the Wildlands, where constant conflict rages between different factions: the rebels who seek to overthrow the Empire, the Savages who dwell in the wilderness, and the many threats that lurk in the moon’s untamed regions. The Wildlands are an untamed region, home to many dangers. The deep forests, jagged mountains, and mystical swamps are filled with monstrous creatures, magical anomalies, and strange relics of an ancient civilization that predated Avalonian colonization. Yet, they also serve as a refuge for rebels, escaped Indents, and outcasts. These groups band together, waging a guerilla war against the Empire and its colonies. Some wish to overthrow the Empire's rule on Orpheus entirely, while others simply want to survive in the harsh wilderness, free from Avalonian control.
However, not all who live in the Wildlands are freedom fighters. The region is also home to Savages, tribes of humans and other races who have reverted to barbarism, practicing rituals that many in the colonies view as dark and twisted. Cannibalism, blood magic, and territorial warfare are common, and many Wildland dwellers are hostile to outsiders, including rebel factions. This makes the Wildlands both a source of hope and danger for those seeking to escape the empire.

Overhead, Avalon watches its colonies with increasing paranoia. While the wealth of Orpheus is vital to the Empire's continued prosperity, the growing unrest and rebellious movements threaten to destabilize the colonies. To combat this, the Empire has increased its military presence on Orpheus, deploying Imperial Legions and magical enforcers to maintain control. Yet, the fire of rebellion burns bright, and whispers of a coming reckoning grow louder with each passing day.

Please see Character Creation for help getting started.