Renault on 7/10/2007 at 06:13

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What's wrong with the Lexicon? Isn't it just canon material from TDP organized into an encyclopedia type form?

Gambit on 7/10/2007 at 13:10

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Well, in TDS when you steal some important things [SPOILER]from both hammerites and pagans they manage to contact you throught Keeper Artemus.[/SPOILER]

So maybe, just MAYBE, some very few pagans and hammerites, those with a very big rank in these organisations, know the existance of the Keepers and the association of Garrett with the Keepers.

Unless Artemus introduced himself to the pagans and hammers just as a "friend of Garrett" who could help to solve their conflicting situation.

Solabusca on 11/10/2007 at 04:04

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Well, since you folks were interested, some rough notes (read - pure fanon spun out of dreams and fantasy) that were intended for my own Savage Worlds interpretation of Thief - it's all for tabletop roleplay, and draws from a number of sources.

Feel free to comment, or to PM me with ideas. Again, as stated, these are fairly rough ideas, and I'm always interested in criticism.

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Assumptions and Notes:

A few assumptions dictated my decisions regarding this timeline. First, the location of Karath-Din had to be somewhere that could be effectively lost and forgotten - a place cut off from the rest of the world by either sea or mountain, so that people wouldn't be inclined to easliy return after the diaspora. So that the Lost City could, in fact, become lost, and to allow for the subsequent rise and fall of the Kurshok.

After an extended period of time thinking about it, I concluded that the City's location would either have to be on an island - thinking of both England and the lost island of Atlantis - or the people of KD would have had to have run very, very far away (across the ocean).

Once civilization started to stabilize, and conditions began to improve, humans would quickly return to the site of the Lost City unless something prevented it - magic, rumour, dark powers, curses, Kurshok and others could all be factors here.

On Keepers: Given that Keepers have been a secret group in the city since it's inception (and, I'd suggest, are related somehow to the knowledge left behind by the Order of Enlightenment of Karath-Din, they do factor into the history - however, as a secret organization I have chosen to leave their subtle prodding in the shadows.

Eras of Play

1. Ancient Days, Lost Cities (5000+ years before TDP)

Overview: Adventure in the Ancient Precursor empire - a fusion of Egyptian, Mayan and possibly Lovecraftian or Atlantean cultures. Play can take place in the days just before disaster struck Karath-Din (think Conan or Elric of Melnibone, and you'd be on the mark), or you could play out the dark days of the Diaspora. Conflict or trade between the men of Karath-Din and the Deep One-esque Kurshok are also possible!

Set-pieces: Dark Gods, Elder Horrors, Priest-Kings, technomagick, and awesome, world-shattering forces.

2. The Longboats (Approx. 2700 to 2000 years before TDP)

Overview: Pagan travellers have stumbled upon the long-abandoned site of Karath-Din, and have founded a new village on the banks of the river. The new village slowly grows, and the Pagans begin to strike out from their new home. Pagan longships sail out of the harbour to ravage the coast of nearby villages at the urgings of their Shamans, chieftans and gods.

Set-pieces: Pagan viking-analogues vs. ancient sea-demons (Cray and Kurshok), piracy and viking-style raiding against other early civilizations (perhaps Phonecian/Greek analogues). Dark forces. Possible elimination of the village, as happened to the Vikings when they came to North America - destroyed by skraelings (the native populace). Old evils could drive them away from the site. A lesser diaspora as the Pagans move into the surrounding areas and continue to practice their religions.

(Author's note: This could also be a group of 'mainland' pre-Empire pagans, and the skraelings could be remnants of the dark worshippers left behind from KD)

3. Rise and Fall of Empire (2000 - 600 years before TDP)

Overview: The rise of a Roman-esque empire - to be more precise, the Rise and Fall of the Ancient Empire. Picture the Romans in Londinium, and the great decadance of the Empire as it teeters on the edge of collapse; just as it tumbles over the edge of the abyss, the rise of the Builder and the Hammerite Order. Best think of the Empire as Rome in decline, with more variety in worship until the Hammer comes crashing down upon the City, solidifying control and starting it's growth cycle.

Set-pieces: The Legions, the (re)birth and formative years of the City, action in the Empire as it stretches across the world, the warring of the old Imperial-sanctioned gods and the conquering of Pagan groups that have taken up residence around the Empire.

4. The City-State / The Hammerite Imperium (600 - 300 Before TDP)

Overview: Also called the Restoration - the Hammerites have acheived great political power, both by force of will and the strength of their followers. At the same time, the Empire has collapsed in on itself, withdrawing from it's outlying colonies. In the absence of Imperial forces, the City stands on it's own, declaring itself an independent City-State made up of the City proper and the outlying resource/support areas.

Hammerite patrols police the streets with almost the same frequency as the Baronial forces. Rapid advances in architecture and industry spurred by the Hammerites lead to a golden age of growth and trade. While the City advances, the old Empire collapses into decay. Attacks by from within and without causes the borders of the Empire to shrink drastically, leaving a patchwork of similar city-states in it's wake (Blackbrook, etc.)

Set-pieces: The rising stagnancy of the Church, the transition from an Empire to a Feudal city-state, the creation and rise in power of the noble families of the City, the creation of a new Guard and City Watch.

5. The Dark Industrial Revolution (300 - 50 before TDP)

Overview: The final death knell of the old Empire comes on the heels of technological innovation - steam power, the harnessing of magical forces, electrical lights, mechanical printing presses and industrial machines that begin to work through the night. Knowledge grows.

With this transition to a more enlightened populace comes a shift in power - the Hammerite Church begins losing followers. When the common folk can read and write, and can more easily learn the rudiments of architecture and technology that the Church once held control of, when they start to lose their fear of the dark, there is a shift away from the strict tenents of the Church.

Common folk begin to work in foundries and factories. Merchants begin to amass more wealth, and with more wealth more power. The Hammerite Church falters - perhaps a weakness in leadership causes them to stumble.

Set-pieces: War with rival city-states (Blackbrook, etc), warring guilds trying to steal secrets from one another, industrial/guild level espionage, an increase in magical studies as books become available, an increase in learning overall (universities and libraries); sedition, treason and heresy. The Recovery of the Eye. The Great Fire. The Cataclysm. Transition from an agricultural/mercantile model to an industrial/mercantile model. Industrial revolution. Rampant poverty, mass growth as people move from the country to the city. Serfs become Freemen in the City, but still find themselves indentured to merchants as they work in the factories.

6. The City as State (50 - Present)

Overview: The City now stands alone - it is the largest, and the most influential of the City-States. It clings to it's independence, refusing to bow to any other petty King that tries to subsume it. The Noble Class, still strong outside the City proper, finds itself in competition with the merchant class. The rise of the patricians in the guilds and their inclusion in the ranks of City government creates tension.

Technological advances slow. Old technologies are maintained, but new innovations become few, in part due to the decline of the Hammerites and the dogmatic approach to innovation (especially in the wake of Cataclysm).

Hammer recruitment drops, and the patrols become less frequent. Strife between the Hammerites and the City Government becomes more pronounced.

The Hand Mages come to the City.

Set-pieces: Dirty streets, drought, floods, strikes, streetfighting, the rise of the Wardens, disease, etc.

Snakeskin on 12/10/2007 at 07:53

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Solabusca, would you have an interest in using that timeline and your formed opinions to write a more extensive history of the City?
It would of course be for including in our RPG fanon project, this is one of the few parts we havent started on at all yet, and i cant think of any better candidate.