Ascension

847 years ago the people of Illyria killed a God, and rampant abuse of technology and magic led to disaster. The Gods struck back.

Ascension takes place in a world where technology and magic are now prohibited from advancing for fear of history repeating itself. The Gods have given Illyria one final gift, the Towers, so that courageous denizens may face their challenges and gain power. Our story begins in an unsuspecting town untouched by such glory.

GM'd by EnterElysium.

Introduction to Illyria

The Tower Laws

The Illyrian Calendar

## Characters

### Player Characters

The Core Party

* Perrin Veldarell played by Bentham
* Arina Cogdir played by Margaret Krohn
* Esgatenyar-se played by BDaveWalters

Guest Characters

* Bone played by Mike Haracz
* Melusina played by OboeLauren
* Streekvok played by mikemcharague
* Temper played by ThatSaltyGinger
* Edmund played by WisePapaGrant
* Mirri played by DistractedElf
* Vanya Irathyl played by McKenzie Wilkes
* Siris Kharon played by PlayKatiePlay
* Brondel Badbronze played by EmmaWrote
* Deer Symphony played by KikkaVO
* Breora Littlehock played by Tashnarr
* Sk'ith Lightning-Scale played by Cobaltstreak
* Keladry Cooper played by Vana1895
* Kasric Truefound played by Gnomedic
* Grug played by BlindTemple

### Non-Player Characters

In O'liona:

* The Cogdir family
	+ Erzu, Arina's grandfather
	+ Reyla, Arina's grandmother
	+ Calvyn and Ella, Arina's parents
	+ Nesver, Corben, Zoji, and Joji, her siblings. Corben went missing pre-series at the Soul Spire.
* Blablin, an unpleasant shopkeeper. Has a Mark in Artificer.
* Mahera, owner of the tavern The Ghost in The Machine. Has a Mark in Fighter.
* Hornrick, a local drunk. Has a Mark in Rogue.
* War Priest Antoch, a half-elf cleric in the Ebon Claw who was mentored by Erzu.

In Vehir Oras:

* Thraruck Anok, an Orc weaponsmith and proprietor of Kord's Anvil in Vehir Oras.

In Nirderth:

* Wrendri Tonk, a mysterious Artificer that is in possession of rare knowledge about the towers
* Allumin & Nyriss Veldarell, Perrin's father and mother who have been involved in the Nirderth resistance against the Lumarion Empire. They have since left the city.

In various locations:

* Arathane: Proprietor of Arathane's Emporium and purveyor of magical items. Operates stores in multiple cities and is presumed to be a high level Wizard
* Sir Gallant: Renowned adventurer and leader of the famed adventurer group "The Chosen Knights". High level Paladin Warlock multiclass and Perrin's arch-enemy

Additions to the party:

* Pietro: Arina's pet miniature pangolin, who she rescued when he was injured. Arina builds Mechapietro, a pangolin exosuit, for him. Later, in a freak accident, Pietro becomes sentient.
* Pathfinding and Ecology Warden Enhancer 1-7-343C, a warforged component who can help with identifying terrain and biological beings. Gaten names him Pew.
* Neser Kiv: A paladin/barbarian general in the Krellian Dominian imprisoned in a demon realm by the Emperor. Kiv enters Perrin's greatsword in Fairmeadow.
* Greg, god of destruction: The party's companion donkey.

Historical Figures:

* Geir Escrail: A famous early pioneer of tower research. He is most famous for developing the Tower Laws and publishing tower guides that are considered essential reading for anyone intending to go into a tower. He was also the mentor to the Artificer Wrendri Tonk. It is suspected that he was behind the construction of Arina's Key.

## Gods

### The Divine Host

* Onatar/Moradin: God of the forge & hard work. Husband to Kord, brother to Dorn. Tower: Steel Spire
* Selune: Dual goddess of the moon, sister or other side to Shar. Tower: Moon Spire
* Kord: God of battle, strength and courage. Husband to Onatar. Tower: Storm Spire
* Sarenrae: Goddess of Light, life, patience, temperance. Tower: Sun Spire
* Iomedae: Goddess of righteous valor, justice and honour. Tower Sword Hearth
* Dorn (Departed): Father God. Husband to Arawai. Tower: formerly the Sun Spire
* Arawai (Departed): Goddess of Fertility and the Harvest. Tower: formerly the Sword Hearth/Heart Hearth
* Mystra (Dead): Goddess of knowledge and magic

### Dark Pact

* Asmmodeus: Prince of the Nine Hells, God of darkness, fire, tyranny, trickery. Tower: Hell Spire
* Bane: God of war, destruction and conquest. Tower: Black Tower
* Umberlee: Goddess of the sea. Tower: Drowned Tower
* Shar: Goddess of the moon, secrets, loss. Tower: Moon Spire
* Erathis: Goddess of civilisation, progress and vengeance. Tower: Ruined Pillar
* Nerull (Dead): God of the Dead. Tower: Formerly Soul Spire

### Unaligned Gods

* Traveller: God of chaos, deception, invention, travel. Tower: Travelling Tower
* Raven Queen: Goddess of death, winter, memory. Tower: Soul Spire
* Melora: Goddess of the hunt. Sister of Arawai. Tower: Beast Tower
* Auril: Godess of Winter (Domain supplanted by the Raven Queen). Not in possession of a tower

## Governments/Organizations

* The Ebon Claw, an organization of warriors who serve the Raven Queen. They are responsible for destroying the vampire lords of the Dead Cities but chose not to take government control.
* The Dead Cities, a coalition of merchantile city states, formed from Rhur Oras, Agathi Oras, Gao Oras and technically Vehir Oras. Vehir Oras, the nominal capital of the Dead Cities has actually been occupied on a rotating basis by the other city sates since 821AC after the War for the Dead City. Until 605AC the Dead Cities were ruled by powerful Vampire Lords with the entire nation focused on supporting their undead masters. However, following the Raven Queen's Ascension and the death of Nerull, God of the Dead, warfare broke out and by the end of 607AC the Dead Cities were no longer a safe haven for the undead.
* The Lumarion Empire, a growing superpower that now controls a large portion of Northern Ne-Selaine, headed by an Empress known as the Lioness. Approximately nine years ago the Empire invaded Nirderth, quickly occupying a large portion of the Kingdom including the capitol and its tower the Ruined Piller. The Empire currently exists in a state of tension with the Kingdom of Caelduin and has a protracted campaign ongoing against the Daekhan-Mechana League which is currently in a stalemate.
* The Kingdom of Caelduin, feudal monarchy located in the North East of Ne-Selaine currently ruled by Queen Steelsong who is said to have carried her injured husband through an entire Tower floor in order to save him after he was mortally wounded in an assassination attempt. During the Lumarion Empire's siege of Nirderth, Caelduin seized large portions of Nirderth's territory in order to prevent it all falling under Lumarion control. The Kingdom currently exists in a state of tension with the Lumarion Empire that borders on cold war, and under the knowledge that it is falling far behind its regional rival.
* The Kingdom of Nirderth, now defunct after invasion by the Lumarion Empire and subsequent partition between the Lumarion Empire and the Kingdom of Caelduin. The Lumarion Empire justified this as a necessary action by claiming Nirderth was about to break the Paradigm Ban and thereby invoke the wrath of the gods. Subsequently, the former royal family are all believed to be dead. Ever since the onset of the Lumarion occupation, the city of Nirderth has experienced varying degrees of civil unrest.
* The Daekhan Mechana League, a loose confederation the occupies much of the south of the continent.
* The Concordat of the Sword, a theocratic nation primarily devoted to Iomedae, that exists in a state of open hostility with the Aeshir Satrapy. Conflict with the Aeshir Satrapy has mainly focused on maritime battles over control of the Gulf of Aeshir. While the Concordat for the most part upholds freedom of religion, worship & reverence of the Dark Pact is generally outlawed (with worship of Erathis considered a more of a grey area). The Concordat is also the nation that is most hostile towards Artificers, believing that the class is a perversion of how the towers are supposed to operate and thereby a perversion of the will of the gods.
* The Bright Cities are a nation, principally of Sun Elves, off the cost of Northern Ne-Selaine. They frequently raid the nearby coast of Ne-Selaine and interdict vessels travelling in the seas and skies. Highly nationalistic, xenophobic, and puritanical; they believe that the gods have abandoned Illyria after the Catacylsm. They do not use the Tower system as they consider it impure, instead capturing adventurers and using their souls to fuel their rituals. They have incredibly advanced skills in the fields of soul manipulation and necromancy; along with a form of transmutation called ‘biomancy’ which is typically not found elsewhere in Illyria. From time to time they launch Bright Crusades on the nations of Ne-Selaine, capturing adventurers, looting, and damaging infrastructure.
* The Krellian Dominion, a now defunct historical empire that once controlled a large portion of the continent. This was the empire that Neser Kiv fought for in life.
* Klyskaya Republic, a now defunct predominantly human civilisation previously located in the deserts of Southern Ne-Selaine. The original capitol (Turovsk) was destroyed by the gods for contravening the Paradigm Ban, after which the mining settlement of Xhipol was built up into a replacement capitol. Approximately 240 years ago, Xhipol (now also known as Hubris) was also destroyed by the gods for subverting the Paradigm Ban, a situation which ultimately led to the fall of the Republic and the transition of many of its people into the nomadic Daekhan people who later went on to be a part of the Daekhan-Mechana League.

## Locations

* O'liona, the town the core party comes from, is a small town on the bank of the River Clip, founded on the ruins of the original city of Gao Oras. It’s principal exports were scrap metal from the hulk of the Broken Behemoth and the ruins of the of city, along with catering the occasional band of adventurers who chanced their luck plundering what little remained of them. Much of the original city of Gao Oras was buried or destroyed in 314AC during the Battle of the Broken Behemoth, a battle that was only ‘won’ by the sacrifice of the remainder of Gao Oras to destroy the Behemoth. These days; following a series of events started by the appearance of the Travelling Tower, an influx of adventurers and an attack on one of the more notable shops; it has suffered a decline in population.

Dead Cities

* Old Gao Oras, consists of the remaining buried ruins of the original city of Gao Oras once ruled by the vampire Gulthias. It is the origin of tree blights. The city was laid to ruin in 314AC during the Battle of the Broken Behemoth. Adventurer’s still plunder the depths in search of loot, but little since remains. It lies under the modern town of O’ilona and the surrounding area, which can cause issues with subsidence as the remnants of long buried buildings give way.
* The Broken Behemoth consists of the remaining structure of a Steel Behemoth that was destroyed in 314AC during the Battle of the Broken Behemoth. Much of the original city of Gao Oras was buried or destroyed during the battle, a battle that was only ‘won’ by the sacrifice of the remainder of Gao Oras to destroy the Behemoth. What little of its metal skeleton looms above the nearby city of O’ilona seems inured to the prey of scavengers who have long since removed the parts less resistant to their ministrations. Occasionally, components and pieces are unearthed in nearby fields or discovered in the buried ruins of Old Gao Oras.
* Agathi Oras, one of the four city states of the Dead Cities, and one of the two most politically powerful. Orginally one of the human cities that seemingly appeared overnight in the aftermath of the Cataclysm, the city that would later become known as Agathi Oras, was soon taken over by the vampire Lords. The Vampire Lord Agathi was infamous for modifying her lineage to feed on psychic anguish instead of blood. The city still bears the psychic scars that can be felt to this day, and as such exudes a somewhat dour reputation, alongside an infamous, and hopefully unconnected, arcane university.
* Rhur Oras, one of the four city states of the Dead Cities, and one of the two most politically powerful. The Vampire Lord Rhur had a reputation for being straightforwards and headstrong. The city still reflects this to a large degree with a strong merchant fleet and a commanding position over one of Illyria's most important trade esturies. Rhur Oras is built of solid rock and metal in the the hard volcanic stone and life here is tough, with the vast majority of food being imported from central Northern Ne-Selaine.
* The River Clip, AKA the River of the Dead. This is the crossing point between Illyria and the threshold of death. It has a strong presence of death to those with Divine Sense and is connected to several other planes including the Shadowfell. Peering into the water, one can see the stars in the Astral Plane.
* Vehir Oras, the capital of the Dead Cities and home of the Soul Spire. Vehir Oras is a cesspool of corruption and poverty due to being in a rotating occupation by two other city states.

The Lumarion Empire

* Sun Throne is the capital of the Lumarion Empire, the most powerful nation in Northern Ne-Selaine. Formerly capital of the Northern-Krellian Dominion and then short-lived Luminous Hierocracy, and before that the northern capital of the Krellian Dominion. Sun Throne is largely constructed from white stone buildings topped with golden metals and paints, with murals and frescos an omnipresent sight in the settlement. Sun Throne’s long history and lack of major military conflict means that much of it’s history and art remained intact down the ages, and remains the premier location for history and art in Ne-Selaine.
* The Stormfell Mountains, home of the Storm Spire and the center of a war waged by the Lumarion Empire for control of the Tower.
* Nirderth, the largest city on the northern continent and capitol of the now defunct Kingdom of Nirderth until it was taken by the Lumarion Empire

 The rest of the world

* Zefalaine, a continent on the other side of the world; the location of the Beast Tower, uninhabited and possibly the home of dragons. Part of it is filled with dense jungle and it has dinosaurs on its coast.

## Towers

* The Traveling Tower, location random. The Tower of The Traveler, a god of trickery and mischief. Its trials are based on wit and resourcefulness.
* The Soul Spire, located in Vehir Oras. The Tower of The Raven Queen, goddess of death, winter and fate. Its trials are based on perseverance and strength.
* Ruined Piller, located in Nirderth. The Tower of Erathis. A four sided glass structure in mis-matching sections with a top breaking off in jagged spikes. Many of the sections have curtains in the windows and are lit by florescent lights. The sections change regularly.
* The Storm Spire, located in the Stormfell Mountains.
* The Drowned Tower. The Tower of Umberlee, otherwise known as the Wavemother, Sea Queen, Queen of the Depths, or (less favourably and not if one wishes to have a smooth voyage) The Bitch Queen. Uniquely it is actually situated in a bay, with the entrance underwater and accessible either by strong swimmers or bathysphere. The tower strongly features challenges featuring water, diving, swimming, holding your breath, and fighting in underwater constraints. Creatures tend to all be those with water habitats, aquatic abilities, or those with movement based themes. Puzzles are often complicated by the slowing effect of being done underwater, or having to retrieve items from underwater, or involving underwater gloom. Less omnipresent themes include extreme oceanic weather, sailing, cold (typically in the form of cold water or rain), and raiding. Climbers are advised to consider their swimming ability and ability to hold their breath in adverse conditions. At higher levels climbers are stronger advised to seek gaining a form of natural swimming ability and underwater breathing, all but mandatory at higher levels. The Drowned Tower is unforgiving to those who do not heed this advised. It is said by some scholars that the entrance being underwater is a warning of this, others say that those scholars must not know the Wavemother well.
* The Beast Tower, located on the continent of Zefalaine.
* The Moon Tower, located in Caelduin. Tower of Sharlune.
* The Sun Spire, located in Sunthrone. The tower of Sarenrae, and previously that of Dorn before his abdication during the Divine Secession. It is themed around blinding light, searing heat, fire and radiant damage, celestial creatures, and at higher floors situations featuring seemingly impossible odds. Themes of forgiveness and of hope are recurrent. As might be expected, the Sun also appears frequently in puzzles. Climbers are advised to practice their insight and religion skills.
* The Black Tower, located in the Cindershore isles. Tower of Bane.
* The Steel Tower, located in the Daekhan-Mechana League. Tower of Iomedae.