Prompts
Crypts of the Old World
In the absence of magic the Ruins of the Old World are lifeless, desolate tombs. The mighty machines that once had fed greedily on the Guardian's gifts have ceased with time; their metal bodies crumbling, disfiguring and twisting into frail skeletons plagued with rust. Those few that preserved well have been ravaged by Raiders, taken as prizes, ornaments and family heirlooms, or melted down and made new. To the people of Moren Ezen, much of what remains is of little interest – naught but nameless, decaying constructs, their purpose lost since the time of the Cataclysm, now valueless and obsolete.
But they have not been forgotten, and in the wake of the rumors of Magic many eyes have turned to the petrified Ruins of the Old World dotting the continents. Most folk are a feared to venture close, for whispers of devilish spirits and befouled beasts prowling their lands have flooded the streets of every civilization from Mastay to Kestrana. Of sickness and disease, disillusionment and madness. They are cursed, bewitched, forsaken by the Guardians and besieged by evil!
For some, however, their curiosity simply won't be denied the satisfaction of knowing, and boastings of such power lurking deep within these metal crypts is a temptation beyond reason.
Prompt 1
Even in the most remote regions of Moren Ezen, gossip of the power lurking deep within the Old World remnants has arrived. Your character knows well the dangers of venturing into the ruins - the Elder’s warnings bolstered by the local Scouts and Scavengers that have braved them. Perhaps they themselves are among such explorers. This time, however, they will certainly need to delve deeper into the bowels of the Old Word ruins, into the heart of the once grand cities, to explore further the secrets and mystery that lurk within, and face more peril than any have done before.
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Have your character investigate their nearest Ruin site. This can be one of the major Old World Cities as marked on the Moren Ezen Map, or a smaller ruin site at a location of your choosing. Depict your character nearing the Ruin site.
Prompt 2
The ruins of the old world are vast, many places so overgrown it’s almost impossible to tell anything ever stood there at all, yet you continue to delve deeper, seeking the very heart of what was once a glorious city. Around every corner lingers danger. Every sound sets you on edge. The very shadows themselves play tricks on your mind and you begin to recall the vivid stories told around campfires of the bizarre sightings of late. There’s moments where it’s tempting to turn back, but that’s not an option.
Someone has to lay the rumors to rest.
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Depict your character exploring the Old World Ruins, showing any challenges they face during their search, and how they overcome them.
Prompt 3
After days of traversing the thickly forested ruins under little more than speckled daylight, the world almost seems to turn in on itself. Which direction is North? Which way is the way out? The animals have gone quiet, yet you still hear chatter and voices amidst the falling leaves and footfalls of your mount. They pull you in, gravitating you to the very heart of the ruins. All around you, rusted beams tower like the trees, the ground is littered with pebbles of glass strewn among the leaves and forest debri. The voices grow louder, ethereal whispers drowning out your very thoughts until you reach the center of the glen. The dappled sunlight glitters against the ground like a babbling brook and everything goes still, quiet and peaceful. The air is clear and energized, with a mild chill - much like after a thunderstorm. The light continues to dance through the ancient glass shards and you realize now that it isn’t mere sunlight. The earth is alive beneath your feet, a river of energy flowing through this place. The hair begins to raise on your arms and neck as you watch the leyline dance and flow. Magic has returned.
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Depict your character in the glen, reacting to the sight of the leyline and confirmation that magic has indeed returned to the World of Moren Ezen.
Divine Skies
Pandemonium has struck, or at least that's how the fearful and superstitious have made it feel. Suspicion of magic is at at ever growing height and major settlements world wide are closing their gates, casting out those who they deem a magical threat. In this time of chaos, your character chooses to come forth and find answers rather than hide behind fortified walls. With their bags packed and Jibita ready, they seek wisdom and guidance of the Elders of Guardian's Watch. They are the final stand in this world of the taboo, the last of the believers, praying that one day the Guardian’s will return to humanity and bestow benevolence upon mankind. If there’s any connection remaining to the Guardians, it’ll be there, at the peak of the world. The place where the sky lights touch the Earth, where a compass spins round and round, where the Elders live extraordinarily long lives.
It’s a long journey to the bottom of the world for some answers. Rough ocean currents, harsh deserts and perilous forests stand between many adventurers and their journey’s end. Or is it only the beginning?
Prompt 1
The path to Guardian’s Watch is not an easy one and your character will need to heavily prepare. The seas between Aeslend and Apora are some of the most notorious in the world, with strong currents and frequent storms. Very few have attempted the passage, and fewer have completed their journey successfully. In order to reach their southern target, your character will need to find a means to cross the Vluolst sea.
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Depict your character gathering supplies and securing passage to Apora. Do they hire a place among a supply ship, travel with a companion or two, or risk it all by taking on the seas alone?
Prompt 2
It’s been a long voyage, but after surviving storms, strong currents, short rations and many sleepless nights, you’ve finally come ashore in Apora. Bhuti Mingyur is a short journey from the bay, where your character will seek to gain audience with the Elder Monarchs, the last true believers of the Guardians and their magic. Whether there is truth to their beliefs is yet to be seen, but they direct your journey towards Guardian’s Watch - a revered ground, lush and green despite the cool, arid landscape, a place where the Monarch’s claim to commune with the Guardians.
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Depict your character arriving in Guardian’s Watch. Does it hold all the mystery and wonder it’s been portrayed as, or does your character find themselves wishing for more?
Prompt 3
Trekking the harsh mountains to reach the Guardian’s Watch has been no easy task, especially with a horse in tow. Slippery rocks and steep cliffs have made the journey a harrowing experience, but finally, you reach the plateau that harbor’s the Guardian tree. The glade is open and lush with grasses. Though night is falling, the area is lit by the dancing aurora. As you part through the tall grasses towards the pale tree, the wind begins to pick up and the leaves begin to stir. The aurora begins to ripple and bend faster, it’s brilliant hues lighting the world around you. Then, as if called by your presence, the aurora begins to descend, their ethereal tendrils reaching the Guardian tree. Light begins to seep through the cracks of the tree’s bark, zig-zagging down through the roots into the earth like lightning, washing the area in a brilliant light. The leylines shine and shimmer beneath the thick grasses like streams cutting through the earth. There can be no other explanation for this incredible phenomena - magic has returned.
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Depict your character at the Guardian tree, reacting to the aurora phenomena - confirmation that magic has indeed returned to the World of Moren Ezen.
Ley Lines
There are places, in the furthest reaches of Aeslend’s far North, where the everlasting frost of the Nether is rumored to conceal the Old World’s greatest treasures, forever frozen in time. Monumental walls of ice slowly creep south, melting into the crystal clear mountain waters that feed the plains. Rocky outcrops and unsteady ledges are home to agile mountain goats and massive grizzlies. Further north, one may catch a glimpse of Aesland's most ancient beast, the mammoth, as they seek refuge from mankind in the remote reaches of the wintery wastelands on their yearly migration to their summer grazing grounds - a rumored land where magic runs deep within the earth, feeding the surrounding areas with life.
In this open plain, where snow lays thick even in summer, there is a large river that winds in and out of the glaciers, slowly wearing away access to deeper caverns. Here light plays tricks on the eyes, gleaming through the walls of ice. Sounds echo and warp, north becomes south, east becomes west, and the ice shifts, closing paths and opening others. It's dangerous, but it's in these places, where the heavy ice has carved out deep scars in the earth, that one may be able to reach the evidence they seek - the leylines.
Prompt 1
The people of the North know very well the perils of The Nether. Those who hail from below the mountainous range dividing the perpetual frost from the tropics, deserts and grassy plains are respectful of the perilous cold. Journeying into the north will require lots of preparation and survival skills. If one is not careful, you risk frostbite, hypothermia, avalanches, ice breaks and more. Passing the mountains will not be an easy journey.
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Depict your character gathering supplies and beginning their trek over the mountains. Are they skilled and ready, or risking their life to discover the world's secrets?
Prompt 2
Even as summer works it’s way through the tundra’s thick layers of permafrost, the air remains cold and the landscape rugged. Reaching the far northern expanses has not been an easy journey, but at last, your eyes fall upon the monumental glaciers. The impossibly clear ice shines like glass, brilliant azure hues almost glowing in the sun’s light. Carefully, you find a way deeper within the creaking and crackling walls of ice. There seems to be an energy in the air, whether from excitement or something more mystical, you are unsure, but it seems to draw you further within the icy caverns.
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Depict your character entering or traversing the expansive cavern tunnels, making their way down through the layers of ice to the earth below.
Prompt 3
Ice creaks and shifts all around you as you delve deeper, seeking the heart of the great caverns. Each step makes your heart beat faster, you risk being trapped beneath the shifting ice, but you’ve come too far to back away now. You continue deeper, unsure of exactly what it is you are seeking. The light warps and dances within the great walls of ice, shimmering with a disorienting haze. It isn’t long before you realize the lights are growing stronger, illuminating the cavern in an ethereal light. The ice begins to groan and shift, threatening to close in around you and your mount. The ground shakes and cracks begin to spread through the ice. Sharp echoes ripple through the ice in a deafening chain reaction and blinding light seeps through the cracks. The bright mana flows like water from the shifting ice, pooling and your feet and draining into the earth. The leylines are awakening. Magic has returned.
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Depict your character deep within the ice flows, reacting to the terrifying reaction as light pours from the cracks to pool at their feet, confirming that magic has indeed returned to the World of Moren Ezen.
Optional Prompts
Prompt 1
Stories of the old world are told around campfires, fairy tales used to keep children in check. Every man and woman has grown up with the cautionary tales, seeding a healthy fear and respect of magic into even the most skeptical of individuals. Lately the stories have held more weight. Strange happenings are cropping up across the world. The brilliant sky lights have been seen as far south as Kaetho, rumors of shadows and visions sweep through private conversations, unearthly sounds have been heard deep in the wilds of the world. In these twilight hours, someone has to step up and investigate the truth. Depict your individual reacting to the stories and preparing to travel. What’s their motive? Is it courage that drives them, the need to protect their family, their home; a sense of adventure; or is greed their driving force, a search for unknown powers waiting to be harnessed? Are they leaving home, or simply wandering to new places? Will they leave behind loved ones, possessions, and companions? Depict your rider as they prepare to embark on this new journey.
Prompt 2
Travelling the world can be an eye opening, wonderful experience, and it can also carry it’s risks. No matter how far your character has to travel, they’ll likely see and experience new things. Depending on the path they’ve chosen, they’ll be trekking mountains, open plains, glaciers, or possibly the sea. They run the chance of encountering predators, from Dune Dogs and Shadowcats, to Raptors. Weather and the environment will test their limits. There will be quiet nights by the campfire, new encounters, and adrenaline pumping adventures.
Depict some of the experiences, both good and bad, your character experiences on their way to their destination? Have they met someone along the way? Have they faced a major fear? How are they handling the terrain, weather and predators? Did they leave home prepared, or are they surviving off the earth?
Prompt 3
Every step of your character’s journey has been leading them into the unknown, driving them to explore ancient history and discover more about the past than ever before. Now as they reach the final stages of their journey and the weight of their purpose settles over them, the possibility that magic may be returning to the world is really beginning to seem a reality. How does this affect their outlook as they prepare to face the last leg of their journey? Are they excited, scared, or even doubtful? How does their cultural upbringing affect their reaction? How do their initial motivations come into play now?
Depict your character at their camp, just days away from facing one of the world’s collective fears - the return of magic. Do they feel confident? Are they tempted to turn back, despite how far they’ve come? Show us what your character is feeling and how the journey so far has changed them.