Here Be Dragons
Player's Guide
The bells of the capital ring out, and a voice shouts: Dragons!.
Introduction
Welcome to TorontoDND's third Storyline, "Here Be Dragons"! The Storyline format is a way for us to provide both players and DMs with a greater sense of belonging in our shared world, and to provide better continuity from one session to the next. For full details on the Storyline format check out the About Storylines page, otherwise read on for details on our current story and when it will be running!
The Story So Far
In the capital of the Medean Empire—Justianos, the City of Gold—the streets overflow with celebration. It is the 476th birthday of Emperor Cyrus, who has long since withdrawn from daily rule. Rumors swirl that today he will name one—or both—of his twin heirs as regents, and finally retire to the Glimmering Coast with his Empress.
A grand parade winds along the Gold Road, honouring the empire’s storied past. At its rear, the royal family greets the cheering crowds. At the base of the Hill of Victory, the procession disperses. The Emperor ascends the steps, his children and their mother just behind him. A hush falls as he prepares to speak.
The benevolent Emperor looks out over his people… then suddenly up. A vast, winged shadow passes overhead.
The bells begin to ring, as a voice cries out in terror: “Dragons!”
On a day of celebration in the gleaming capital of the Medean Empire, terror descends from the skies! Without warning, out of myth and legend, the dragon lord Azoragon and his savage Dreadwing forces launch a devastating surprise attack against Justianos — the legendary City of Gold!
Caught completely unprepared, the capital reels as entire districts are engulfed in violence and chaos. In the mayhem, an astonishing truth is revealed to the world: Emperor Cyrus is himself a dragon... and has a connection to the mysterious Azoragon! High above the burning city, the two titans clash in a battle that shakes the heavens, as the Emperor sacrifices his life to buy time for desperate heroes and terrified civilians below.
Yet even that sacrifice cannot prevent catastrophe! Using ancient and terrible power, the Dreadwings rip Justianos from the earth itself, raising the entire capital into the sky. Now the once-proud heart of the empire hangs impossibly above the world — a distant golden speck visible for miles around.
Though brave heroes and a sudden army of giants manage to drive the dragons away, the Medean Empire has been left shattered. Its great organizations stand crippled — short-staffed, undersupplied, and utterly unready for a disaster of this scale. As refugees flood the countryside and panic spreads across the realm, sinister dragon cults emerge from the shadows, seeking to exploit the chaos and undermine what remains of imperial authority.
Now, with the empire on the brink of collapse, brave souls must rise to confront the growing darkness... before the flames of war consume Medea entirely!
Setting
All of our Storylines take place in our own shared setting, known as Tor'anoth. This world contains many regions including The Medean Empire, where "Here Be Dragons" takes place. You can explore the region using our interactive map here. If you are a DM and you sign up for any of the events in the current storyline you will also be able to add your own locations, establishments, NPCs and lore to the map!
Factions
In this storyline your PCs can work for diffent factions, increasing their reputation with each, while earning both Titles and Perks. Every time your PC plays a session in "Here Be Dragons", they may be eligible to receive a reputation bonus for one of the four available factions. Faction reputations starts at 1.0, each session played increases your reputation by 0.5 reputation points, to a maximum of 5.0. These are the factions in the Medean Empire that your characters can represent:
Smiths of Glory
A mercenary group of adventurers who want to make a name for themselves, and revel in their achievements. Finishing contracts quickly and spectacularly is what matters most for this group.
Scholarly Kin
The state academy for those seeking to learn as much about the world through all means possible, be it magic or natural sciences. Study and understanding before action.
Balance Keepers
A secretive society centred around maintaining absolute balance between extremes. Balance comes before all else, good or evil.
Order of the Gauntlet
Gauntlets believe in following virtue and dogma to best defend the Empire against threats. They enjoy the benefits of working closely with the military.
Gaining Reputation
There are two ways your PCs can increase their reputation with a faction:
- Each PC can join an initial faction to gain a one point boost. This can be done when registering a new character, or by editing an existing character that has yet to join a faction. This is like them getting a signing bonus. Once you have picked an initial faction it cannot be edited or changed. However, you are not restricted to working with just that group, you can gain rank in multiple factions, enjoying the Titles and Perks of them all!
- If you assign a character to a Storyline table at least 72 hours prior to the start of the session*, that PC will be eligible to receive a bonus of 0.5 reputation with a faction. To claim the bonus, just complete the survey for the event. The bonus will automatically be applied to the character.
* If you sign up for a table within 72 hours and also assign a character, your PC will still be eligible for the faction bonus.
Titles & Perks
Titles are fun bits of flavour that get applied to your character. When you start off with a faction you will be given an entry-level Title, as you progress in reputation it will become more stately. This is just a fun bit of flavour.
Perks offer actual mechanical benefits you can use in your games. At each reputation score beyond 1.0 your PC will receive a perk. When you reach a score of 5.0 with a reputation your character receives a powerful Perk that can change the course of a battle!
You can find a complete list of faction Perks, Titles and more, by visiting the faction detail page from map page.
Schedule
| Act | First Event Date | Last Event Date |
|---|---|---|
| Epic: Capital Aflame | Sat, May 2nd | |
| Act 1: Our Home, Fallen | Sun, May 3rd | Thu, May 28th |
| Act 2: From Whence Power is Drawn | Sat, May 30th | Thu, June 25th |
| Act 3: A Dragon’s Lair | Sat, June 27th | Thu, July 30th |
| Epic: Apotheosis | Sat, August 8th |
The "Here Be Dragons" Storyline will start off with an Epic adventure, continue over three acts (about a month each), and finally culminate in an Epic finale event. When a DM claims any table within the scheduling window for one of the three acts, they will be able to opt-in to the Storyline. The game system of table doesn't matter, you can run ABD&D, Sidequests etc in the Storyline.
For players, the schedule page will clearly indicate which tables have opted in to the Storyline vs those that have not.
The Team
This story and many of the tools/systems we are using to support it have been created and shaped by some amazing people. If you like the Storyline and you see one of these fine folks around, give them a high five!
