User:DanielDraco/wip

The beginnings of a campaign setting. Not very well organized at the moment.

The City of Heledith
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."

It has been twelve years since the last envoy from the capital arrived. The baron professes fealty to the king of Athetil, but most citizens assume that the kingdom has fallen. Nobody seems to care, though, because they know it doesn't affect the politics of the city. Members of the city government enjoy comfortable lifestyles, but hold no real power.

With blackmail and death threats, powerful wizards and warriors ply their might into influence. But because they are so numerous, none of them can let themselves rise to prominence and wealth &mdash; even the most capable fighter will become similarly dominated when his prestige draws the attention of the populace. So it goes that the city of Heledith is ruled by the uncoordinated consensus of self-serving insurgents; those with power must live in ruin, and those with wealth may have no power. Because of their destitute status, and because they rarely let themselves be known by name, these powerful figures are known collectively as the Paupers.

Beyond the Walls
The Paupers who dominate the city sometimes leave it and seek to live freer lives as hermits or vagabonds. This is, unfortunately for them, a popular choice &mdash; the countryside is ruled by ever-warring Paupers, and it is impossible to venture far beyond the gate without being either robbed, enslaved, or slain and turned undead. It takes an individual of extraordinary power to travel. Drifters, therefore, are among the most feared individuals known to the city-dwellers.

Beyond the Fourth Wall
Player characters are, as a rule, Paupers -- in fact, anyone with anything but an NPC class is generally going to be a Pauper. They might not engage in the political machinations, and they might not be self-interested pricks like most Paupers, but NPCs will assume that they are the moment they realize that the PCs can fight. This means fear from the general populace, and anything ranging from cautious respect to open hostility from other Paupers.

Escape from the city is intended to be a campaign-ending move; the world around the city is left to DM discretion, but the countryside itself should be dominated by incredibly high-level characters who do not allow anyone to travel so much as a mile undisturbed. A successful journey to some final location should be the final quest of the campaign &mdash; or, if it isn't, this campaign setting is in any case no longer relevant.