Rise of Drekis - More details

Hey there Patrons! First off, thank you for your continued support, it really is what makes all these wonderful, exciting, and deeply disturbing campaigns possible. We wouldn't be here without you. ♥

It's time to dump some details for Rise of Drekis. Here we go! 

Chapter 1
The campaign is going to be broken up into discrete chapters that deal with the Rise of Drekis in different ways. Chapter 1: The Talons and The Deserters, deals with, you'll never guess, deserters who have fled to The Talons (icy islands in the south sea). This chapter will be a solo campaign with a fan favorite player: Anna-Sophie / Feyama. Depending on schedules and how the campaign goes, she may show up in following campaigns or her story may just be that one chapter.

While her character isn't rolled or fleshed out, there is a very rough backstory that I sent her and she has mostly agreed with. Some details may change before the game launches, but below is her character history so far. Oh, and we're likely looking at a half elf fighter/mage multiclassed character, instead of a straight up fighter.

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You are the bastard halfelf child born to human parents of status and rank. Your existence is awkward for your family but they love you very much. When you were little, you asked your mother why you looked different from the rest of your family and received a punishing spanking. One of your nursemaids helpfully told you to never bring this topic up in front of anyone ever again - that was the first and last time the question of your origin came up with your family, although the cruelness of childhood made sure the issue was never far removed. 

You have heard the story of the night you were born many times from many people who were there, so you are sure you are your mother's daughter, but you do not know who your biological father is nor the circumstances of how you came to be. Your family loves you, cares for you, sees that you have all the things you need, sees to your education, and sees that you are trained to be the warrior that is your birthright. Yet, it has always been insisted that you wear your hair long and not tie it back. Elfin features of the face are less noticeable in women than in men but the ears are a dead giveaway. While the words half-elf, bastard, and infidelity have never been spoken, they have always silently echoed through your halls and rang in your head.

Your family is an ancient one, with your lineage stretching back to the early days of Drekis when the capital was founded. It is well respected, well positioned, and well off. Your estate is in the old district of Wikkthronrarenta, your holdings are both within and without the city walls, and you have a long line of honorable and heroic service to your kingdom.

When you came of age to be a page you were sent to a friendly family in the Kingdom of Eridon who would raise and train you. It is very common for aspiring knights from good families to be raised and trained in this way. Your family has taken in children from other families to do the same. It is not uncommon even to send your child overseas for their education and training. There is nothing unloving or suspicious about your parents sending you to the other side of the continent for your formative years; yet, you can't help but notice you were the only one of your siblings sent so far away. The debate rages in your head whether this was for your benefit or for the benefit of your family.

When Eridan fell to monsters and demons, your family recalled you from Redport, concerned for your safety. You had not been home in 8 years and your return opened up new awkwardnesses. When people of high status and rank came to dine with your family, there was always a convenient reason why you could not attend. When you do eat with your family, your younger siblings sit above you at the table.

You have spent a third of your life, your most formative years, living with a foreign family in a foreign land. You have spent the last third of your life trying to reintegrate yourself into a family and a society that is marked by chaos, instability, and war. These last 8 years in Drekis have not been the reunion you were hoping for. Your father, your aunts, your uncles, and your older siblings have all been called off to war for months or years on end. You and your younger siblings, whose existence you were unaware of until you arrived home, were too young to serve in the war for Arcadia, but you have come of age in time to assist in the mopping up.

This campaign is both your first command and your first time in the field. While the kingdom was victorious in war, there are so many new lands to hold and people to keep in line that the Army is stretched thin. Under ordinary circumstances, you would have served under an experienced knight for years before being entrusted with men, material, and such responsibility. You suspect your father has pulled strings to have you assigned to this campaign and give you an opportunity to prove to all that you are worthy of your lineage. Your mission is to deal with the deserters that have fled to The Talons, small icy islands in the south sea. It is not a glamorous job. It is a harsh environment. It is far from resupply, reinforcements, and support. Your success or failure in this campaign, and the way in which you deal with those you seek, will define your relationship both with your family and your kingdom. 

This is your moment.

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Art and Animations

I've designed the into animation, but I hate animating and it takes me forever, so I'm contracting with an artist to make it happen. Each chapter will use the base animation that covers the history of the war, and then title card for the chapter we're on, and a small animation for zooming into where we are playing. 

Overall the animation is one of expanding territorial lines on the map of Arcadia, accompanied by a soundtrack (mix of roll20 tracks and sounds) and some text to tell the story of The War for Arcadia in brief. Also some credits. 

Overlays haven't been designed yet, that's today's job, but once they're designed I'll pass those off to another artist to actualize. With the variable cast size, and the specificity of region, I think we might end up with unique overlays for each chapter, or if it gets too expensive, unique overlays for some campaigns, and generic overlays for others. Time will tell.

With a solo chapter 1, I think it would be a great opportunity to do some cool overlay stuff that showcases character art/stats/gear/info rather than just art. We'll see.

Campaign Length

With the formatting of this game, I'm not sure how to talk about "campaign length". Each chapter is its own campaign, and together they are telling a bigger story. The first chapter will be 3-5 sessions (which I usually underestimate, so maybe 5-8?), and the ones following should all be longer - but since they're not fleshed out yet it's hard to say how much longer. 

Character Deaths

A lovely other aspect is failure. If chapter 2 is (this is an example, don't get your hopes up) adding Gadia to the kingdom and the PCs venture too deep into the dark woods... well they could get eaten by monsters there. Killed by wraiths. Turned into undead. And so we could either continue the 2nd chapter as the next team that goes in to deal with it, or we could come back in another chapter to deal with the area again. Either way, death of PCs actually adds to the campaign rather than detracts from it. 

Launch Dates

Super hard to pin down now. Still need to get art, overlays, intros done. Then need to coordinate with the player. I'm shooting for sometime in August! We'll see.

Another fun aspect, if there aren't other campaigns going on at the same time, it's possible that multiple chapters could be running concurrently if they deal with different areas. idk if this will actually come to pass, but maybe as one is wrapping up another can be starting? We'll see. Just putting out all the possibilities, so I can dash all your hopes later. :)

That's all for this week's update. I'll be sure to show you new developments as they arrive.

Thanks for all your support, see you soon!