I have looked at the thread on a great battle that is a few posts below this one. The biggest issue people had with that was lack of a background story. Today I decided to tackle trying to write a background story for such an event. I will not be able to orchestrate such an event, but thought someone might like to take up on the idea.
As you read this, think of decent names etc for the areas I have placed @@@ in.
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Start of stories background
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Deep within a cavern under the old ruin of @@@, a lone figure digs softly into the rock. Looking sideways often checking to see if anyone is around. He jumps, startled as the rock pick hits something hollow, the sound reverberating about the cavern. A grin crosses his face, “Pay time. I sure hope that rotten scoundrel pays me well for this”. Brushing the dust off, the digger pulls out a small wooden box.
Opening it up, he finds a small bronze coloured rod with strange glyphs inscribed on it. Carefully taking the rod out of the box and placing it into his backpack the grave robber sneaks out of the cavern and heads towards Hydlaa.
As he walks down the road, he notices that something seems a little strange. Stopping to look around, he sees the man that employed him to find this artefact was approaching. Not completely without his wiles the grave robber loosens a small dagger from within his sleeve as the impressive man approaches.
“Have you got the artefact?”, “I do” he replies, “Do you have my payment?” An evil grin crosses the mouth of the impressive looking man. That was all the grave robber needed to realise that he was about to be double crossed by this wondrous looking character. Reaching for the dagger, the grave robber knew what was coming. However before he had a chance to react, the impressive man enchanted some words. In an instant the object within his backpack started humming as an excruciating pain erupted from within the grave robber. Squirming on the ground in pain the grave robber looked up as a hand reach down and took the artefact from within his backpack.
“I do wish I could stay around and watch you squirm in pain for the next 12 hours, however I have some pressing business to attend to. Do enjoy your brief touch you have had with the power that will soon disrupt the peace within this land.”
Unable to die and unable to escape the pain, the grave robber lies on the ground twisting with the torment he endures. Un-noticed to himself, an old Enki approaches with a grave look upon his face. For a brief moment the pain recedes and the grave robber notices that the Enki is incanting a few words he does not recognise. “There is little I can do for you my friend. This power that so torments you I have never seen its like before. I fear that the only thing I am able to do is to send you to the death realm where you will find some measure of peace”. A grateful grin crosses the grave robbers mouth. “Thankyou, he says. But please I need to tell you what happened”. Relaying the story to the Enki the grave robber starts to suffer convulsions again. Desperately trying to tell the story of what happened. As the power of the Enki’s incantation slowly fades, the Enki raises his Falchion and drives it through the grave robbers heart. A troubled expression crosses his face as the Enki walks back towards Hydlaa. Reaching a few friends, he relays the story on and it is passed among the many that stand for goodness within the realm. New relationships are forged and alliances made as the righteous within the realm prepare for the inevitable journey that will follow.
At a similar time, a mercenary stumbles into the cavern of the old ruin. Seeking shelter for the night where he can wait out the passing of those hunting for him. The wench he had taken from Oja was bound and gagged and tied up in the corner. A look of fear across her face. Walking over towards her, he trips over a small wooden box. Picking it up to examine it, he notices some old symbols on the box.He had seen these symbols elsewhere within the guilds of evil that he had passed through. It intrigued him and he thought that he might be able to get some coin for it. So he stuffed it into his backpack then turned around with a grin across his face as he went back towards the lovely little soul to torment her.
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Ok. Basically I was thinking that this story is based around a plot to bring civil unrest being orchestrated by this deceptive powerful man. He is very charismatic and comes across as being on the side of good. The two sides, Good/Evil both stumble across information about this artefact. With much reasoning they both place that it is an artefact mentioned in old texts that provides great power for evil. They both have now reason to believe that it exists and has been found and the war is about the two sides attempting to secure this artefact. One for its destruction and the other for its malicious use.
The artefact is very powerful and has the ability to control people and to delve the depths of their lives and extract for the user information about how best the person can be manipulated. (Note that the artefact has not been obtained by either of the two groups)
Through the use of this artefact people who are on the side of good but that have weak wills may be overtaken by the wielder of the artefact and thoughts/feelings implanted into them. This way you may have the people of good looking out for signs of corruption among them. A good person can become evil when correctly prodded by wielder of the artefact. Likewise someone on the side for evil can be induced to feel the effect of their evil and possibly turn in repentance towards the side of good.
In the example of torture in the story above, the artefact controlled the grave robbers mind to think he was being tortured by some means… The pain was real but the cause of it was not. He did not know that however and thought his internal organs were about to explode or some gross thing like that…
An example of using the artefact to manipulate a character:
My character for example belongs in the guardians of power (True Good). He has had a very tough life being beaten etc and has realised that he needs to seek peace. So he seeks that in a true good guild. However with enough coercion, he could instead be caused to blame others for what they did to him and turn to take out the same right of torment on other people. The artefact could speed on this change of mindset by implanting small thoughts, though only for those of a weak will.
So neither guild has the artefact, but both are looking for it. This conflict is a master plan of the one character who does have the artefact and his plan is to bring the realm into civil war for some gain of his own evil conscience.
Part of what I wanted to do was increase the contrast between good and evil though this story. This tries to place good vs evil by having evil as people who manipulate for the pleasure it brings to see others in pain not just people that kill others. A neutral person can do that as easily as a good person. It is the motive behind it that I think is important. True evil can be portrayed to others by killing them, torturing them, denying them what they truly want (peace or items), giving to them what they don’t want etc. I play a true good character, but find the capacity for achieving good really I just helping other. It does not seem to include combating evil. This is sad I think.
There are bound to be holes and problems with that story and I just proposed it as an idea. If people would want to build on it, then I think it could make a decent RP event/events.
The biggest problem I can see with it is that it does seem to give a lot of power to the side of evil. It is also only a background for the real story. The actual story is not scripted, except that at some point a war would erupt I think in some climatic battle with the artefact present.
