# In the Name of the King



## HyrumOWC (Jun 17, 2008)

Here's my first draft concept for a 4e game. My current thought is to take the "points of light" idea and push it to the extreme, making the world similar to the Black Company books by Glen Cook, or the Malazan books by Steven Erickson and then smash these together with Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy.

Title: In the Name of the King, a Rainbow 6 inspired 4e Campaign

Untold generations ago the powerful Tirasim Empire ruled the known world. At its head was the Crimson Emperor, a being so powerful he rivaled the gods. Serving him were 10 immortal sorcerers known as the _Kael-Merodach_, each the satrap of a province in the empire and equal to the Emperor in their capacity for evil, if not in power. 

The empire ruled for centuries with no opposition until, at the height of its arrogance it was destroyed, its capital left in ruins, its once green fields laid waste. The exact cause is unknown, however, legends tell of a band of mortals who discovered the secret of the Emperor’s power and used that knowledge to entomb him in an eternal prison known as the Spike. The _Kael-Merodach _ were buried with him, although a few are rumored to have escaped and now plot his return. 

From the rubble of the empire arose numerous petty kingdoms, most of which have faded away or been absorbed into larger nations. Today there are just a handful of these nations, each fighting to bring back the glory of the once great empire. Most of the world is wilderness, filled with horrors, monstrosities, blood thirsty goblins and other savage humanoids. 

Recently, a decadent, autocratic kingdom has begun to exert itself in a bid for domination. It calls itself the Empire of Megadon and is ruled over by the Tyrant Gidianhi, rumored to be one of the _Kael-Merodach_, from his capitol of Arioch. 

To the west lies the mysterious Caliphate of Nakir, a land of djinn, deserts, and fanatical warriors. The north is ruled over by White Fang, an unsurpassed warrior and berserker. The jungles of the south are home to the Askanti tribes of cannibals, while the east is the domain of the Satrapy of Jade and its Dragon Khan. 

The mysterious eladrin and their cousins the elves have largely left the world since the days of the Crimson Emperor and his jyhad against the fae. While deep in the earth can be found sturdy dwarves, and small mercenary bands of dragonborn serve whoever can pay the most coin. The Mourneblood swamps are home to the mercantile halfling tribes, and in every nation can be found tieflings, remnants of the perverse pacts of the old Empire. The one beacon of light in this dark world is the Kingdom of the Zered and its ruler, Zered XVI, a man credited with single handedly keeping the light of freedom alive. 

Zered XVI is a warrior in his 40’s and has ruled for the past 15 years. He has 3 children, Nicanor (15) a paladin of the sun god Barak and his heir (who will become Zered XVII), Sariah (14), betrothed at her birth to Corianton, ward of the Tyrant of Megadon in a failed attempt to create a lasting peace between the two nations, and Janoth (5), pledged to become High Priest of Barak when he comes of age. 

Starting characters are all from the same place, the Zeredite capital of _Beth‐Horan_. The Zeredite Kingdom has been ruled by an unbroken line of kings that date back to an aide-de-camp of the original Satrapy under the Tirasim Empire. Starting characters are all members of the Black Watch and report to Lord Commander Adûain Rana, leader of the Black Watch and member of the King’s Council. They are elite warriors who serve the King directly. They are a squad, the best of the best, part of an organization made of up members of all races. Their duty is to protect Zeredite interests and undertake missions too dangerous or too controversial to be publicly known ‐ all in the name of the King. 

I start tomorrow night! 

Hyrum.


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