Comments on: The Ascended Conflict in my Riddleport Campaign http://www.campaignmastery.com/blog/the-ascended-conflict-in-my-riddleport-campaign/ Expert tips and how-to's on every aspect of creating and running exceptional campaigns. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:02:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=781 hourly 1 By: Sharpe http://www.campaignmastery.com/blog/the-ascended-conflict-in-my-riddleport-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1363 Sharpe Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:39:57 +0000 http://www.campaignmastery.com/blog/?p=1238#comment-1363 Aw, this was a really quality post. In theory I'd like to write like this too - taking time and real effort to make a good article... but what can I say... I procrastinate alot and never seem to get something done. Aw, this was a really quality post. In theory I’d like to write like this too – taking time and real effort to make a good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and never seem to get something done.

]]> By: Mike http://www.campaignmastery.com/blog/the-ascended-conflict-in-my-riddleport-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1330 Mike Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:13:14 +0000 http://www.campaignmastery.com/blog/?p=1238#comment-1330 The ring shape ... why such a shape? And it is clearly big enough that something can pass through it, hence all the suggestions that it is a gate or portal of some kind. So what if the Cyphergate is actually the "cosmic switchboard" that connects shards to their Ascended, and it is those 'connections' that pass through the gate? This makes the cyphergate's name a misnomer applied by ignorant mortals and its true purpose a surprise when it is revealed. The Ascended would need to protect it at all costs (even though it is seemingly invulnerable) because if it goes, they all go. At the same time, it is a potential vulnerability to individual ascended, because (with sufficient time, effort, and expertise), the connection can be traced and Ascended can follow it past all the defences of an enemy Ascended to the enemy Ascended's shard. Each symbol represents one of the Divine, and hence also Connects the Divine with his agents, perhaps facilitating direct communications between them. If a new Divine is born/created, the symbols grow smaller and a new symbol mysteriously appears on the cyphergate. Presumably, it's been a long time since this happened, so there is no mortal record of it. And perhaps the Cyphergate is actually constructed of the immortal remains of the Primal, explaining it's near invulnerability. Oh, and one final notion: perhaps the descendants of the Servants of the Primal are still around as Abberations and the like - some working (ala the Serpent Priests in Raymond E Feist's novels) to 'release' their masters from their "confinement" while others work to maintain their current state of independance? Throwing in another layer of conflict like this can only make things more interesting! This could also be used to explain the dichotomy between Devils and Demons. Devils could be "dark divine", the enemies of the divine, outcast by the other Divine, while Demons could be another branch of the servants of the Primal. All these ideas make the Cyphergate (from a mortal perspective) the ultimate tool for understanding of the Divine and their natures, which only makes it more ironic that humans think it's arcane in nature. And the presence of so many competing Ascended ensures (as a side-effect) that organised priesthoods are never permitted to stick around Riddleport long enough to recognise the nature of the Cyphergate - because every Religious group is in the service of someone's enemy. That, in turn, would imply that the presence of so many Ascended (ironically) makes Riddleport the most secular city in existance, the population most distantly removed from divine guidance - and if that doesn't fit with the concept of a lawless pirate haven, nothing does! The advantages of these suggestions are that they explain not only the Cyphergate and it's connection to the Ascended and Divine, it explains why Riddleport was always going to turn out to be something akin to what it is: the Soddom and Gamora of this campaign world, inherantly corrupt and violent, with laws imposed by the strong on the weak by force, anarchy distilled. Riddleport becomes the central hub of divine politics without even knowing about it! The ring shape … why such a shape? And it is clearly big enough that something can pass through it, hence all the suggestions that it is a gate or portal of some kind. So what if the Cyphergate is actually the “cosmic switchboard” that connects shards to their Ascended, and it is those ‘connections’ that pass through the gate?

This makes the cyphergate’s name a misnomer applied by ignorant mortals and its true purpose a surprise when it is revealed. The Ascended would need to protect it at all costs (even though it is seemingly invulnerable) because if it goes, they all go.

At the same time, it is a potential vulnerability to individual ascended, because (with sufficient time, effort, and expertise), the connection can be traced and Ascended can follow it past all the defences of an enemy Ascended to the enemy Ascended’s shard.

Each symbol represents one of the Divine, and hence also Connects the Divine with his agents, perhaps facilitating direct communications between them. If a new Divine is born/created, the symbols grow smaller and a new symbol mysteriously appears on the cyphergate. Presumably, it’s been a long time since this happened, so there is no mortal record of it.

And perhaps the Cyphergate is actually constructed of the immortal remains of the Primal, explaining it’s near invulnerability.

Oh, and one final notion: perhaps the descendants of the Servants of the Primal are still around as Abberations and the like – some working (ala the Serpent Priests in Raymond E Feist’s novels) to ‘release’ their masters from their “confinement” while others work to maintain their current state of independance? Throwing in another layer of conflict like this can only make things more interesting!

This could also be used to explain the dichotomy between Devils and Demons. Devils could be “dark divine”, the enemies of the divine, outcast by the other Divine, while Demons could be another branch of the servants of the Primal.

All these ideas make the Cyphergate (from a mortal perspective) the ultimate tool for understanding of the Divine and their natures, which only makes it more ironic that humans think it’s arcane in nature. And the presence of so many competing Ascended ensures (as a side-effect) that organised priesthoods are never permitted to stick around Riddleport long enough to recognise the nature of the Cyphergate – because every Religious group is in the service of someone’s enemy.

That, in turn, would imply that the presence of so many Ascended (ironically) makes Riddleport the most secular city in existance, the population most distantly removed from divine guidance – and if that doesn’t fit with the concept of a lawless pirate haven, nothing does!

The advantages of these suggestions are that they explain not only the Cyphergate and it’s connection to the Ascended and Divine, it explains why Riddleport was always going to turn out to be something akin to what it is: the Soddom and Gamora of this campaign world, inherantly corrupt and violent, with laws imposed by the strong on the weak by force, anarchy distilled. Riddleport becomes the central hub of divine politics without even knowing about it!

]]> By: Robert http://www.campaignmastery.com/blog/the-ascended-conflict-in-my-riddleport-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1329 Robert Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:30:14 +0000 http://www.campaignmastery.com/blog/?p=1238#comment-1329 Maybe the gate links the user (Ascended or mortal) directly to one of the Primals, making him a Divine without having to go through one of the established ones. Perhaps this is how the first Divines got their power, by building this gate? Maybe it can only be activated once every years and the time is coming up, so all the Ascended are making their moves on it now. It could be it takes a long time to perform the necessary ritual, so they can't afford to have any other Ascended running around while they doing it. Alternatively it could be some sort of Omniscience device that would give the user the knowledge of all the Divine's weaknesses? Imagine the fun politics that would be involved with that. Maybe the gate links the user (Ascended or mortal) directly to one of the Primals, making him a Divine without having to go through one of the established ones. Perhaps this is how the first Divines got their power, by building this gate? Maybe it can only be activated once every years and the time is coming up, so all the Ascended are making their moves on it now. It could be it takes a long time to perform the necessary ritual, so they can’t afford to have any other Ascended running around while they doing it.

Alternatively it could be some sort of Omniscience device that would give the user the knowledge of all the Divine’s weaknesses? Imagine the fun politics that would be involved with that.

]]> By: C.Rader http://www.campaignmastery.com/blog/the-ascended-conflict-in-my-riddleport-campaign/comment-page-1/#comment-1328 C.Rader Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:30:42 +0000 http://www.campaignmastery.com/blog/?p=1238#comment-1328 The Cyphergate is a scrying portal that allows one to ascertain the weakness of a Divine. The characters around the edge are letters in the Divine Alphabet and the mage who can assemble the Divine's truename and speak it through the Cyphergate can gain awareness of the weakness of a Divine. The rub; only a mortal may speak the truename of a Divine, and only the shard of an Ascended may be used to power the Cyphergate to determine that weakness of the Divine attuned to the Ascended. Thus, you have instant conflicts around assembling truenames (make them like 256 characters long :), and Ascended trying to deny access to the device or playing the long game to take control to destroy a Divine. The Cyphergate is a scrying portal that allows one to ascertain the weakness of a Divine. The characters around the edge are letters in the Divine Alphabet and the mage who can assemble the Divine’s truename and speak it through the Cyphergate can gain awareness of the weakness of a Divine. The rub; only a mortal may speak the truename of a Divine, and only the shard of an Ascended may be used to power the Cyphergate to determine that weakness of the Divine attuned to the Ascended. Thus, you have instant conflicts around assembling truenames (make them like 256 characters long :), and Ascended trying to deny access to the device or playing the long game to take control to destroy a Divine.

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