Cles

[TetNak]

They say the Death Hills are where the tribes do not go. Even the tribes cannot withstand the dead. For thousands of years the tribes fought along the wilds of Cles'ar-zolar, or simply called Cles. Few have ever traveled past the Marks of Cles and returned. To the north, the Death Hills, to the east, the Swaplands, and the south and east, an endless forest known as the Withering Wood.

The central lands were always coveted, and constantly fought over, creating a cycle of death, slavery, and death again. That was until the Death Hills got their name. Nearly six-hundred years ago, rumored from a cave, a wave of monsters unseen by the orcish tribes washed over Cles like a plague. In the first wave of attacks the obvious was clear -- the dead rose again. Only ten years after the first wave, when most had been destroyed, another came, and this time nearly wiped out the tribes from the face of Cles.

The tribes went into hiding, mostly in the trees on the outskirts of the Withering Wood, and were forced to join in a pact to only fight the undead evil that were upon them. When all looked hopeless, a strange thing appeared, looking much like orcs, but different somehow. These were called Smoothskins, but the Smoothskins did not want to kill the orcs, but the undead instead.

They taught them the ways of destroying the undead, calling out names of power and wearing metal trinkets around their necks. The fighting was fierce, but eventually the undead were defeated. Over the next five-hundred years, more waves would come, but no more than a dozen at a time, it seemed. Some Smoothskins stayed, some mixing their loins with the tribes, which now live separately but at a trying and fragile peace.

[TetNak]

Gate Statistics:

Gates: 1
Gate Size: Average (1-50) Simultaneous Transport
Gate Frequency: No Limit
End-Points: Cles (Death Hills) - Deadlands (Hall of Mirrors)
Gate Appearance: Cles (Cave), Deadlands (Mirror with an Orcish Bone Frame)
Locked: Cles (No), Deadlands (No)
Activation: Cles (Enter Cave), Deadlands (Touch Mirror)

Cles Statistics:

World Size: Unknown, Cles boarders 100 sq miles
Population: Orc (97%), Half-Orc (2%), Human (1%)
Technology Level: Medieval
Magic: Related to destroying Undead ONLY

[TetNak]

This is just kinda an example, brainstorm, what do you guys think?

[Muskrat]

That looks interesting, though I'm a little fuzzy on your description of the Gate--are you describing both sides of it? Or just the side in the world of Cles? It would be useful to know more about the humans, their culture and why they came through. Was it some sort of religious order, bent on destroying the undead for principally altruistic reasons?

Also, is the only magic that works on this world undead related? Or is just all that's known? If it's the former, it would help to have some sort of explanation about why undead-related magic works, but not other kinds.

[TetNak]

My idea was that it is all that is known, taught by the humans. I was thinking that the humans were indeed a religious order. This was all a very quick mind dump of some ideas I had.

[Muskrat]

One thing I like about this and that's unusual is the alliance of humans and orcs against the undead. It's certainly a different approach than the tired old "all orcs are evil" trope. What if not all the undead were evil as well? What if there were some sort of good undead, trying to stop their evil counterparts? Eberron has some good undead--the elves' "Everliving" ancestors, who draw on the power of the positive energy plan in the same way that normal undead do the negative energy plane.

[TetNak]

I think that's a good idea. The "Deadlands" is the world linked to Cles which is nothing but undead. It is an insanely dangerous place. There could very well be 'good' undead in that place, just trying not to get destroyed by other undead. There's only so much space, after all.

[TetNak]

Or they could be 'partially' undead. Like have undead like some sort of affliction.

[TetNak]

When I came up with orcs, I also considered amazonians, etc. I wanted them to be paladins, but not knights in shinning armor. So know we have orc/paladin/barbarians.

[Muskrat]

The good undead could simply be vampires, ghouls, etc. seeking to resist their unnatural hungers and find a cure for their condition.

Many undead, like vampires, need to feed off the living to survive. Even if they rule an entire world, they would need herds of living humans and other sapients to feed off of and, occasionally, raise to undead status. But that would give them a good reason to invade Cles--to expand their herds by enslaving the orcs.