Lords of the Earth: Story

Names, Places, and Story

Overview:

I am trying to piece together enough of the storyline for you to work with. Much of the storyline was contained in my thoughts as I created the cards, and thus follows the cards more than anything written down in a narrative format. There is a lot of legend and history I have thought up to add depth, but haven't worked out well enough to write down, so some of this may seem pieced together. I have this broken up into three sections, first the characters, then the places, and finally the storyline that ties them all together.

OK, a brief rundown on my thoughts on the history. The use of Magic has been forgotten some time in this place. The people who have populated much of this area moved into it away from Magic, and thus have shunned it for many generations. So, for the humans in this story, Magic ia a rather new discovery. Some of the other creatures are naturally attuned to it, but many of the people are familiar only with it in small spells and side-show demonstrations. One of the main issues with why their spells are small is that you must control the land before your spells can get larger. Most of the places where magic is practiced (Kardan, the Magician's Isles) the people only are able to harness small amounts of land. Thus most of their spells are small. Elliot, the main character, in many ways is on the breaking edge, because he combines his knowledge of magic with the land holdings of his family to create larger and more powerful spells. He and his crusade discover this, and begin experimenting with different types of land, and the powers of spells in ways that neither those in Kardan nor the Isles have fully realized are even available. This is what sets him apart, and makes his little crusade a formidable force in the battles that ensue.

I have tried to keep the story line separate from any current Magic line. This is not because I didn't want to use existing people and places, but simply because I don't know where you have the story line going, and thus felt it was safer to stick with something that would not become dated if major changes happened in the realm of Dominia. However, it would be a fairly straight forward task to convert the characters and elements into the existing story at some point.

Locations:

Valepen
The fertile land on the west coast. Inhabited mainly by humans. They are primarily hard working fishermen and farmers. They shun magic and its power, some for fear, some for distain. As they have had few enemies, they are very unprepared for war.

Kardan
The area to the north of Valepen that borders on the swamp. Sort of the "Mos Eisley" of Valepen. Magic is used here in some minor ways, such as Voo-Doo wizard duels.

Magician's Isles
Islands out to the west inhabited by various magicians. One time a place of the educated, albeit not respected, it has been slowly sinking into feuds and strife as the magicians get more sucked into their power.

Talka Hills
Hills to the south of Valepen. Also called the "Red Hills" by many people due to the red earth that colors most of them.

Talka Mountains
The mountain range to the east, behind the Great Forest. This mountain range actually makes a semicircle around Valepen to form the Red Hills to the south, the Magician's Isles to the west, and the Talka Mountains to the east.

Darkwood Forest
The northern portion of the Great Forest, it borders on the swamps of Kardan. Legend has it that it once extended all the way west to the sea, but the incoming waters have slowly suffocated it back, and left swampland behind.

Edgecomb Forest
The southern side of the Great Forest, this actually covers part of the Red Hills.

The Great Forest
The forest to the west of Valepen. Deep and ancient, it has been feared to be haunted for many generations, and thus is generally shunned by the humans.

Characters:

Elliot
The main character of the story. The younger of two sons of a Valepen lord, he chooses to trade his inheritance from his father for a chance to study on the Magician's Isles. There he becomes a promising pupil, but leaves before the isles fall into war and returns home to help his brother fight off the Red Hills Men. He then gets enlisted by the Valepen army to fight the invading magicians, then moves on to be a general in the battle against the dragons, and finally to the position of commander in the battle against the fallen Kardan.

Hammel
A master of sorcery. He tutored Elliot during his early years on the islands, and built a friendship with him during that time. When the islands begin sinking into strife and dis-trust he decided to go back to Valepen with Elliot rather than get sucked into the conflict. The oldest, and most educated of the crusade, he often serves as their counselor.

Paraz
A maker of purer magic, his side-show tricks are what first inspired a young Elliot to pursue the world of magic. When Elliot returns from the Isles, he is the first one Elliot seeks out to join his crusade. With tutoring by Hammel, combined with the land power harnessed by Elliot, his magic turns from side-show stunts to powerful effects and creatures. He invents tunneling, as well as the re-occurring white creatures.

Chranig
A magician of darker magic. Is easily seduced by the power of magic. Power hungry, he always wants to make his spells bigger, better, and more destructive. Joined up with Elliot for the opportunity to use his magic for a good cause, and thus justify using it in a destructive manner. Always going over the top in his spells. After the after-math of the Kardan war, heads out to the Magician's Isles alone, in an attempt to conquer them single handedly.

Belgunii
Sea-side scavenger and gadget lover. Becomes fascinated with the artifacts of the Magician's invasion and joins up with Elliot to learn about their construction. Becomes a stunning artifact creator in short order and contributes much to the crusades. Is somewhat disturbed by the idea of using magic to create living things. Is killed in the final standoff in the swamps of Kardan.

Mark
Elliot's older brother.

Tensig
Red Hills captain.

Coombultabi
Ancient Great Forest Treefolk who aids in the fighting of the dragons.

Ragar
One of the master magicians. He is the one who wins in the Island wars.
Teegen
One of the master magicians. An artifact maker.
Karla
One of the master magicians.

Story Lines:

Lords of the Earth
Elliot is second born in one of the larger land-owning, families, but he dreams of one day leading armies, conquering faraway lands, and becoming one of the lords of the earth. Shortly after his father dies, he leaves his older brother in charge of the inheritance, and heads off to the Magician's Isles to study at the island academies and learn the art of magic. After six years of productive time there he becomes disturbed by the strife that is arising between the different islands of magicians, and returns home. Shortly after that all out war breaks out between the islands, involving a vast array of artifact creatures and weapons. Back home he agrees to help out his brother, who has been being harassed by nomads from the red mountains. He gathers several friends to form a crusade against the nomads. While they are perfecting their skills, a arsenal of artifact creatures attack from the west, driven by the now ruling party of the magicians islands. Elliot and his crusade are drafted into service, and manage to catch the attacking magicians unprepared (who were expecting little resistance) and are able to defeat them.

Edgecomb's Stand
During the time that these battles were occurring war has erupted between the creatures of the forest and those of the mountains, leaving parts of Valepen in the crossfire. The Goblins and the bandits have joined forces, the goblins, because they want to burn off parts of the forest for their own, the Nomads, because they think they will be better situated to conquer parts of Kardan. Valepen moves into a state of war, and together with the forces of Kardan, they team up with the creatures of the wood to stop the invading forces. The tree folk in the deeper parts of the forest become awakened at the destruction in the south and move in to help. One of the key battles that takes place is explain partly in the cards, as the Elliot has the treefolk silently replace the Edgecomb forest with themselves. Then on the day of the battle the Kardan Warriors flee, and Elliot has the remaining forces run back into the forest in apparent retreat. The are gleefully pursued by the goblins and nomads, only to find that once they are inside the forest itself becomes alive. However, just as victory seems eminent, the dragons descend. It turns out the goblins had a pact with the dragons, and this whole invasion has been secretly orchestrated by the dragons to lure the treefolk out into the open - whom the dragons have a nasty grudge against. The Elliot's crusade, together with the treefolk manage to summon some equally massive Wurms, and turn back the tide. Additionally, Elliot makes secret pacts with the dwarves who have been slaves to the dragons, to close up their homes, and destroy their hordes. Thus when the dragons retreat, they must find new homes even deeper into the mountains, and further away.

Kardan's Fall
On return, however, they find that all is not well in Kardan. Already a place for the scum of the earth, something more evil has awakened in the swaps to the north of Kardan. Most of the northern cities of Kardan have become ghost towns inhabited only by zombies and darker creatures. Obvious to all that the darkness is heading south and intends to engulf all of Valepen, Elliot, the soldiers of Valepen, and his crusade make a final against a hideous darkness. In the final battle the darkness is thwarted, and the army of zombies destroyed, only to be resurrected by Chranig for his own army with which he intends to conquer the Magician's Isles. In the pandemonium that ensues Chranig discovers that he does not have the power to control his zombie army, and many soldiers, including Belgunii, are killed. Elliot, Hammel and Paraz are finally able to stop the zombies and clear the land once and for all. A bedraggled Chranig is banished from the mainland, and Elliot returns as a hero, having now conquered all the areas surrounding Valepen.

Story

LotE

Games

Ideas

c2m

WDATM?


Overview:
I am trying to piece together enough of the storyline for you to work with. Much of the storyline was contained in my thoughts as I created the cards, and thus follows the cards more than anything written down in a narrative format. There is a lot of legend and history I have thought up to add depth, but haven't worked out well enough to write down, so some of this may seem pieced together. I have this broken up into three sections, first the characters, then the places, and finally the storyline that ties them all together. OK, a brief rundown on my thoughts on the history. The use of Magic has been forgotten some time in this place. The people who have populated much of this area moved into it away from Magic, and thus have shunned it for many generations. So, for the humans in this story, Magic ia a rather new discovery. Some of the other creatures are naturally attuned to it, but many of the people are familiar only with it in small spells and side-show demonstrations. One of the main issues with why their spells are small is that you must control the land before your spells can get larger. Most of the places where magic is practiced (Kardan, the Magician's Isles) the people only are able to harness small amounts of land. Thus most of their spells are small. Elliot, the main character, in many ways is on the breaking edge, because he combines his knowledge of magic with the land holdings of his family to create larger and more powerful spells. He and his crusade discover this, and begin experimenting with different types of land, and the powers of spells in ways that neither those in Kardan nor the Isles have fully realized are even available. This is what sets him apart, and makes his little crusade a formidable force in the battles that ensue. I have tried to keep the story line separate from any current Magic line. This is not because I didn't want to use existing people and places, but simply because I don't know where you have the story line going, and thus felt it was safer to stick with something that would not become dated if major changes happened in the realm of Dominia. However, it would be a fairly straight forward task to convert the characters and elements into the existing story at some point.
Locations:
Valepen The fertile land on the west coast. Inhabited mainly by humans. They are primarily hard working fishermen and farmers. They shun magic and its power, some for fear, some for distain. As they have had few enemies, they are very unprepared for war. Kardan The area to the north of Valepen that borders on the swamp. Sort of the "Mos Eisley" of Valepen. Magic is used here in some minor ways, such as Voo-Doo wizard duels. Magician's Isles Islands out to the west inhabited by various magicians. One time a place of the educated, albeit not respected, it has been slowly sinking into feuds and strife as the magicians get more sucked into their power. Talka Hills Hills to the south of Valepen. Also called the "Red Hills" by many people due to the red earth that colors most of them. Talka Mountains The mountain range to the east, behind the Great Forest. This mountain range actually makes a semicircle around Valepen to form the Red Hills to the south, the Magician's Isles to the west, and the Talka Mountains to the east. Darkwood Forest The northern portion of the Great Forest, it borders on the swamps of Kardan. Legend has it that it once extended all the way west to the sea, but the incoming waters have slowly suffocated it back, and left swampland behind. Edgecomb Forest The southern side of the Great Forest, this actually covers part of the Red Hills. The Great Forest The forest to the west of Valepen. Deep and ancient, it has been feared to be haunted for many generations, and thus is generally shunned by the humans.
Characters:
Elliot The main character of the story. The younger of two sons of a Valepen lord, he chooses to trade his inheritance from his father for a chance to study on the Magician's Isles. There he becomes a promising pupil, but leaves before the isles fall into war and returns home to help his brother fight off the Red Hills Men. He then gets enlisted by the Valepen army to fight the invading magicians, then moves on to be a general in the battle against the dragons, and finally to the position of commander in the battle against the fallen Kardan. Hammel A master of sorcery. He tutored Elliot during his early years on the islands, and built a friendship with him during that time. When the islands begin sinking into strife and dis-trust he decided to go back to Valepen with Elliot rather than get sucked into the conflict. The oldest, and most educated of the crusade, he often serves as their counselor. Paraz A maker of purer magic, his side-show tricks are what first inspired a young Elliot to pursue the world of magic. When Elliot returns from the Isles, he is the first one Elliot seeks out to join his crusade. With tutoring by Hammel, combined with the land power harnessed by Elliot, his magic turns from side-show stunts to powerful effects and creatures. He invents tunneling, as well as the re-occurring white creatures. Chranig A magician of darker magic. Is easily seduced by the power of magic. Power hungry, he always wants to make his spells bigger, better, and more destructive. Joined up with Elliot for the opportunity to use his magic for a good cause, and thus justify using it in a destructive manner. Always going over the top in his spells. After the after-math of the Kardan war, heads out to the Magician's Isles alone, in an attempt to conquer them single handedly. Belgunii Sea-side scavenger and gadget lover. Becomes fascinated with the artifacts of the Magician's invasion and joins up with Elliot to learn about their construction. Becomes a stunning artifact creator in short order and contributes much to the crusades. Is somewhat disturbed by the idea of using magic to create living things. Is killed in the final standoff in the swamps of Kardan. Mark Elliot's older brother. Tensig Red Hills captain. Coombultabi Ancient Great Forest Treefolk who aids in the fighting of the dragons. Ragar One of the master magicians. He is the one who wins in the Island wars. Teegen One of the master magicians. An artifact maker. Karla One of the master magicians.
Story Lines:
Lords of the Earth Elliot is second born in one of the larger land-owning, families, but he dreams of one day leading armies, conquering faraway lands, and becoming one of the lords of the earth. Shortly after his father dies, he leaves his older brother in charge of the inheritance, and heads off to the Magician's Isles to study at the island academies and learn the art of magic. After six years of productive time there he becomes disturbed by the strife that is arising between the different islands of magicians, and returns home. Shortly after that all out war breaks out between the islands, involving a vast array of artifact creatures and weapons. Back home he agrees to help out his brother, who has been being harassed by nomads from the red mountains. He gathers several friends to form a crusade against the nomads. While they are perfecting their skills, a arsenal of artifact creatures attack from the west, driven by the now ruling party of the magicians islands. Elliot and his crusade are drafted into service, and manage to catch the attacking magicians unprepared (who were expecting little resistance) and are able to defeat them.
Edgecomb's Stand During the time that these battles were occurring war has erupted between the creatures of the forest and those of the mountains, leaving parts of Valepen in the crossfire. The Goblins and the bandits have joined forces, the goblins, because they want to burn off parts of the forest for their own, the Nomads, because they think they will be better situated to conquer parts of Kardan. Valepen moves into a state of war, and together with the forces of Kardan, they team up with the creatures of the wood to stop the invading forces. The tree folk in the deeper parts of the forest become awakened at the destruction in the south and move in to help. One of the key battles that takes place is explain partly in the cards, as the Elliot has the treefolk silently replace the Edgecomb forest with themselves. Then on the day of the battle the Kardan Warriors flee, and Elliot has the remaining forces run back into the forest in apparent retreat. The are gleefully pursued by the goblins and nomads, only to find that once they are inside the forest itself becomes alive. However, just as victory seems eminent, the dragons descend. It turns out the goblins had a pact with the dragons, and this whole invasion has been secretly orchestrated by the dragons to lure the treefolk out into the open - whom the dragons have a nasty grudge against. The Elliot's crusade, together with the treefolk manage to summon some equally massive Wurms, and turn back the tide. Additionally, Elliot makes secret pacts with the dwarves who have been slaves to the dragons, to close up their homes, and destroy their hordes. Thus when the dragons retreat, they must find new homes even deeper into the mountains, and further away.
Kardan's Fall On return, however, they find that all is not well in Kardan. Already a place for the scum of the earth, something more evil has awakened in the swaps to the north of Kardan. Most of the northern cities of Kardan have become ghost towns inhabited only by zombies and darker creatures. Obvious to all that the darkness is heading south and intends to engulf all of Valepen, Elliot, the soldiers of Valepen, and his crusade make a final against a hideous darkness. In the final battle the darkness is thwarted, and the army of zombies destroyed, only to be resurrected by Chranig for his own army with which he intends to conquer the Magician's Isles. In the pandemonium that ensues Chranig discovers that he does not have the power to control his zombie army, and many soldiers, including Belgunii, are killed. Elliot, Hammel and Paraz are finally able to stop the zombies and clear the land once and for all. A bedraggled Chranig is banished from the mainland, and Elliot returns as a hero, having now conquered all the areas surrounding Valepen.