durendal

 
THE EMPEROR IS DEAD.
Struck down in his prime, His Majesty Khaloneimus Reichnar von Xenocrates XXXIX leaves behind no living heirs, hurling the entire Kyrian Empire into chaos. Who will inherit the throne, and with it, the all-powerful Royal Magic on which the Empire was founded?

The Imperial Ministers and Royal Knights band together, determined to preserve both the monarchy and the peace of the nation. The Church of the Holy Union, of which the Emperor was a convert, pushes to declare the Empire a one-religion state where all are equal in the eyes of God. And on the nation’s outskirts, a renegade general rallies the Imperial Army, daring to seize the throne by force.

The Empire braces for civil war, but no one could predict what would happen next: the Royal Palace lifts to the skies, its underside emblazoned with the image of His Majesty’s face. Though his body lies cold, the Emperor’s voice rings out across the land:

"THOSE WHO SEEK SOVEREIGNTY, HEED MY WILL. IN ONE YEAR HENCE, WHOSOEVER HATH WON THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE SHALL INHERIT MY THRONE. BY THIS RIGHT, AND NONE OTHER, SHALL THY CLAIM BE DECIDED."
The Emperor’s final command is clear: enforced by the Royal Magic, the nation’s Sovereign will be decided by majority vote. For the first time in history, the people themselves will choose their own ruler. Nobles and peasants, pagans and believers, soldiers and civilians, all shall compete to answer the question:

Who among us is fit to rule?

----

Welcome to Valor: ReFantazio, a Valor campaign inspired by Metaphor ReFantazio, along with other classic JRPGs! This is my first time returning to GMing in a long while, but I hope to get back into the swing of things quickly. I expect to adapt a lot of Metaphor's ideas and themes, but putting my own twist on the setting- and of course, creating an engaging adventure for my players!

Things to expect: a High Fantasy adventure about the nature of stories, the pursuit of power, the philosophy of utopia, Fantasy Racism, and a dose of good old-fashioned election anxiety. Forge bonds with each other and your favorite NPCs, clash with sneering villains, explore the continent, and claim the power to change this chaotic world for the better... or worse, if that's your wish. Is it?

Also: it's me, so expect some horror elements. That's all I'll say!

THE SETTING

This story is set in the world of Ahlia, on the continent of Kyr, home to the Kyrian Empire: a massive nation comprised of several former kingdoms that were united centuries ago beneath the banner of House Xenocrates, now in its 39th generation. Myth holds that the Empire was founded after an age of crisis, when the First Emperor was empowered by the gods to defeat the wicked Eldan King and his army of hideous Humans.

On that note: human beings as we know them do not exist in the world of Ahlia! Instead, the world is populated by several tribes of fantasy species, given in more detail below. In this world, the term "human" refers to the legend of ancient, terrifying monsters who once ravaged the land. Thankfully, there's been no human sightings for centuries, and they've become little more than bedtime stories to frighten children. Pray it remains such.

The primary source of magic in this setting is called "magla", an elemental force that permeates the very air itself. Magla is sensitive to the life-force and emotions of nearby living things: those who wish to harness its power for spellcraft must practice diligent mental and emotional training in order to wield magla responsibly. Strong concentration of magla results in magla crystallization; these physical pieces of raw magla are a potent resource, and the mining of magla crystals constitutes a thriving industry.

While magla research is an ongoing process, scholars warn of a certain form of dark magla known as "melancholia", formed by the strong concentration of negative emotions over a prolonged period of time. Battlefields, plague wards, and other sites of mass misery and death tend to result in melancholization and the growth of melancholia crystals, requiring destruction or purification for public safety. It's said that melancholia crystals are far more potent than their normal magla counterparts, but are also highly unstable and may bring the wielder more harm than good.

Spellcasting functions much as you'd expect from a JRPG fantasy setting. Almost everyone is capable of learning magic through study and dedication, but some people are born with more talent for it than others. Mage academies exist across Kyria, but high tuition rates mean that typically only wealthy or particularly talented scholarship students are permitted access. Healing magic exists, but can only accelerate the body's own natural healing process (replenishing blood cells, tissue repair, etc.)- it can't help against lethal injuries or disease.

Over the last few centuries, Kyria has also seen the rise of "maglatech": machines that use magla crystals to perform magical feats without the need for spellcasting. Fearing this new technology, previous Sovereigns outlawed maglatech research for many years, forcing the practice underground. This ban was eased somewhat under the reign of the previous two Emperors, but maglatech research and sales remain strictly regulated by the Imperial government, leading to a fierce debate between the technology's proponents and critics. 

THE TOURNAMENT

I haven't nailed down the specifics yet, but it's likely that the campaign itself will pick up before the Tournament for the Throne has started (the Emperor might not even be dead yet by the time play begins.) Much of the Tournament's "rules" will be revealed to your characters in-universe, but there's a few things I want to make clear ahead of time, as they may influence character creation and your plans for character development.

First, it's not necessary for every PC to be an actual candidate for the throne: as in the original game, it's permitted for "Champions" to compete in the Tournament on behalf of a fellow candidate, which can either be a fellow PC or an NPC. So even if your character has no interest in becoming Sovereign themselves, your deeds and achievements can still influence the Tournament in the direction of your choice- whether it be on behalf of one of the major factions, or an independent candidate. You may even choose to disengage from the Tournament entirely and pursue your own goals while it's happening around you- if that's what the party wants to do, I'm fine with it!

Secondly, unless all players unanimously decide from the start to back the same candidate, it's likely that multiple PCs may have different choices in mind for Sovereign. This is OK! In the early stages of the Tournament (when it's thousands of nobodies up against a few Big Names) it's permitted (and even encouraged) for multiple rival candidates to "party up" and share recognition as a team. There's no division of spoils: any victories your party achieves will be shared equally, as if you were competing as a single candidate.

...At least at first. As the Tournament progresses, your fame grows, and the list of competitors slims, there will eventually come a time when sharing votes will no longer be feasible. When that time comes, the PCs will need to settle things somehow: will you rally together behind a single candidate, or will your differing ideals split the party for good? I'm trusting you, the players, to figure that out.

THE TRIBES

The native tribes of Kyr once lived in separate warring kingdoms, but the Empire's foundation made them all citizens under one continent-wide banner. If you think that solved all social strife, though, you'd sadly be wrong. Racial tension between the tribes has never been great- a holdover from their past as rival kingdoms -but a succession crisis has a way of enflaming old grudges even hotter...

These are the tribes I'll be implementing- I'm still brainstorming a few additions to the list, so if none of these suit your fancy, tell me what ideas you have for a fantasy race and I'll see about adding them to the setting!


  
Clemar
The clemar are a race of horned humanoids who sit squarely at the top of the social hierarchy. The First Emperor and his descendents were all clemar, and many of the Empire's noble houses consist of clemar dynasties. They are a well-rounded species that can adapt to a variety of climates, but tend not to thrive in any one area. Some clemar are born with a single horn, others two. Horn size varies (several bawdy tavern songs have been written on this subject). A clemar without any horns is so rare as to be considered shocking (see the entry for the Elda tribe, below).

  
Shra (Sal'Shra and Si'Shra)
A race of bipedal reptilians, the Shra come in two sub-species: the rough-scaled, heat-loving Sal'Shra and the smooth-scaled, quasi-amphibious Si'Shra. You might think that their shared ancestry would make the two subspecies get along, but there's centuries of bad blood between the two Shra clans: ancient superstition holds that in primitive ages, the savage Sal would feed upon their Si cousins. Whether the legend is true or not, it has resulted in centuries of mistrust and hostility between them. That said, their state's military might led to them becoming a strong part of Kyrian society; while discrimination from other tribes is not unheard of, both sets of Shra tend to sit on the higher end of the social hierachy.



  
Banda
One of the more densely-populated tribes of Kyria is the furry-eared, tail-sporting "banda", or beastfolk. While the banda tribe has high numbers, several factors work against them socially. First, while they enjoy increased athleticism, they pay for it with a higher metabolism: banda need to eat twice as much as other tribes just to stay healthy. Secondly, banda mothers give birth in litters: a banda "only child" is almost unheard of, with every banda in the world typically having at least 4-5 siblings, and often far more than that. These two factors together place considerable economic strain on banda families in the city-states. Generational poverty leads many young banda into lives of crime, which further fuels negative stereotypes about the tribe; many racists refer to banda as "vermin". Nevertheless, they are commonly sighted across the various Imperial city-states (though they tend to prefer colder climates).

  
Galt
Resembling earthen golems, the Galt once had their own stonefolk kingdom, but in the years before the Empire it was ransacked and conquered by the other tribes. As a result, the Galt- physically hardy and well-suited to manual labor -were enslaved by their neighbors for centuries. After the foundation of the Empire, slavery was outlawed and the Galt were made full Imperial citizens, but the bulk of their population retreated to their mountainous former kingdom and prefer to stay isolated from the other tribes. They aren't a common sight outside of their own homeland, but some Galt do still live in scattered communities in other areas of the Empire; you may see one on the street every now and again. Despite their emancipation, the Galt still face bigotry from the other tribes- particularly those unsavory elements who wouldn't mind the Galt slave trade making a comeback.


 Fairies
The only tribe in Kyr to be blessed with flight, perhaps as divine compensation for their miniscule size, fairies tend to shun cities like Grand Kyr in favor of living in the wilderness. Talented mages, they are said to understand magla in a way the other tribes envy. While they rarely face outright hatred, the fairies' diminutive size often causes others to underestimate them as "children" or "pets" rather than adults in their own right.


Elda
Of all the tribes of Kyr, none are so feared and maligned as the elda, to the point that many people don't believe they even still exist. According to historical record, the first sightings of the elda began when a conqueror known as the "Eldan King" emerged out of what is now known as the Blasted Lands. Said to resemble hornless clemar, the King and his eldan followers waged a campaign of terror that threatened to bring all of Kyr to its knees- until the gods intervened and blessed the First Emperor with the Royal Magic, allowing him to scour every trace of them from the continent. Like the Humans they were said to control, the elda are now the stuff of myth in Kyrian society, acting as boogeymen in folk tales. One thing is certain: if the elda do still exist, they're laying low.

Human
"I know what I saw, damn you! No, it wasn't a gobborn, or a rockwyrm, or whatever else they're putting in the report. It was a human. Gobborns are ugly, but they don't hurt your eyes just to look at. Rockwyrms don't whisper in your head! You... you think I'm making it all up, don't you? Gods, I wish I was."
-From the interrogation of banda spearman Basho, sole survivor of the Fort Konvul massacre

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 "So, that went well." 

We are in Zephyr's office, in the newly-constructed Tower atop Ace Lake. A human body wouldn't sense it, but I can feel the thrum of the Nemesite Reactor even up here. The power it exudes is tremendous.

It's me, Diva, and the shapeshifter sitting across from "Supervisor Quill" at his desk. He looks at me, one eyebrow raised. "You have concerns?"

"It just seems a little obvious that you're muscling in on their territory. Price's whole speech last night was painfully transparent. You sure you want to make an enemy of them so quickly?"

"They are already our enemies." Zephyr's voice is sharp. "She won't admit it, but I have no doubt that Elena assembled them specifically to undermine me. Their interference cannot be allowed. You three understand your tasks?"

"I know mine," says Changeling. I do not look directly at her. I can see through her disguises, but my sensors don't get along well with magic. "You're sure the jester can be trusted to watch Whisper? If she gets out..."

"It'll be fine." I answer before Zephyr does. "I built the cage myself. She's not getting out." 

Zephyr looks to me. "I trust you have that same level of confidence in your father's robot army?"

I give him a thumbs up. "They're wired and ready to go. I'll stream Changeling's video after the robots are 'thwarted'. Lawson's ugly enough, I'm sure it won't be hard to convince people he's gone full supervillain."

"...which leads us to you, Diva." Zephyr stares flatly at her, and she tries to pretend like she wasn't surfing her phone. I snort. "You understand your role?"

"Track down the Chimera freaks, haul one or two of them in for 'questioning', come back later to arrest the rest for being terrorists." She yawns. "I don't get why you hate them so much, boss. Sure, they're ugly as $#%@, but who cares about a bunch of mutants and sick veterans?"

"It's not that I hate them, Ms. Suprema. Quite the contrary; I pity them. But they must be exterminated for the greater good. Once the weapon is deployed and this sordid business is behind us, the Valor Corps can resume normal operations."

"And then I'll be a real hero?" Diva's eyes are sparkling. "Like, don't get me wrong, I don't mind $#%^ing up some fools, but I didn't join up to become, like, an assassin or whatever..."

I suppress a sigh.

"Of course." Zephyr waves a hand dismissively. "With Elena's team of puppets removed, Ace City will require renewed protection. Your legitimacy as a heroine will be unquestioned."

"Sweet!" Diva beams. The three of us stand, moving to go complete our tasks. The idol and the shapeshifter move ahead of me, but I linger at the doorway. 

Zephyr blinks at me owlishly. Sometimes I forget that he really is an old man. "Did you require something else, Ms. Jones?"

"It's Silvermane. After speaking with her tonight, I'm wondering... I mean, she hates Elemental's crew almost as much as you do, right? What if we tried to bring her over to our side?"

"Oh?" To my surprise, he actually seems to consider it. "I suppose if Rohan saw something in her, perhaps..."

He seems to think about it, then answers. "Very well. If she seems receptive to your advances, you may attempt to recruit her."

I'm about to answer, but he raises a hand. He wasn't finished. 

"...and if she is not receptive, you will end her life without delay. I believe I've made myself clear on this point in the past. I assume you do not desire a reminder?"

I shake my head. My jaw is tight. "Whatever you say, boss. Whatever you say."

I'd say I see myself out- but I know he's seeing me, too.

I have been studying the samples provided to me by Ashlyn Silvermane, and almost by accident, I believe I have stumbled upon an answer.

From the start, I have been approaching Red Lung from a traditional academic standpoint. Investigate the disease’s symptoms, pinpoint a source, and remove it without causing harm to the victim.

At every turn, Red Lung bedeviled me in this. A disease that affects such a specific demographic, that incubates for 17 years, that defies all attempts at classification…

No known disease behaves this way.

Thus… what if Red Lung is not a disease at all?

But if so, what the devil is it?

I was trimming my claws, and reflecting on the changes Chimera had wrought in my body, when the answer hit me. It’s been right under my snout the whole time.

Red Lung isn’t a natural disease. It’s artificial. In developing Chimera, Elizabeth Blackthorne didn’t create a bioweapon- she improved one that already existed.

At the time, I had thought Blackthorne to be a genius. But with this knowledge in hand, much of her work on Chimera seems… premeditated. As if she’d worked with the Red Lung virus before.

I wonder… is it possible that somehow, Elizabeth Blackthorne knew about Red Lung before she discovered my classified research?

And if so… who told her?

LAWSON’S REPORT #1: RED LUNG

Since the unfortunate incident with ThornTec has resolved, I have resumed my research into the nature of the disease known as “Red Lung”. My new body makes lab-work somewhat cumbersome, but I shall persevere! If anything, the Chimera debacle of the past summer only makes the need for a Red Lung cure more pressing. I will not allow Elizabeth Blackthorne’s treachery to prevent me from saving lives.

To review, these are the factors involved in this disease:

1) Only those who were present in or near Ace City during the Red December incident have contracted Red Lung. Those who have lived in the city before or after the incident, but were not present during the attack, have not contracted the disease to date. Almost all recorded cases of Red Lung belong to former rescue workers, police, firefighters, etc.- those who were nearest the disaster area at the time of the attack or most involved in response efforts.

2) Despite Red December happening almost two decades ago, victims did not begin to exhibit symptoms until this past year. For the past 17 years, patients appear to have carried the dormant virus in their bodies without any ill effects.

3) The virus is not contagious- we exhausted all possible vectors with no successful infections. Only those who were initially infected in December 2000 are suffering the effects of the disease.

4) Recorded symptoms include respiratory bleeding, loss of appetite, swollen lymph nodes, chronic pain, loss of pigmentation in the hair, and ultimately complete respiratory failure. Silver-colored hair is typically a sign that the victim is in the final stages of the disease (with one notable exception- still researching that particular anomaly.)

5) Conventional medicine has proven ineffective; the virus appears to attack the victim’s very DNA. It was this mutagenic property that first prompted my colleagues and I to attempt a cure through gene therapy, but while we were successfully able to treat the symptoms, the disease kept coming back. A more permanent solution must be found.

In summary, Red Lung defies conventional academic records of known viral diseases. To put it frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it: a disease that only manifested during a very brief window of time, quietly incubated in its victims for the better part of two decades, and then quickly kills them with no apparent prompting. It is almost maddeningly confusing… but then, Pasteur and Fleming must have felt this same frustration at some point, no?

Dr. Braun and Dr. Brayne: Having escaped in the confusion caused by ThornTec, Braun and Brayne were about to leave the city in an airship when Braun noticed the explosion coming from his old lab. Arriving on the scene to taunt the Valor Corps, the two mad doctors took off into the sky... only to be apprehended by the Corps five minutes later, having stopped at a Shell station to gas up. They have since been tried and sent back to a standard-security supervillain prison.



HAL: The dapper robot continues to serve as butler, chef and amateur masseuse for the Valor Corps. At Yan's insistence, he began accepting a salary, which he has proceeded to spend entirely on an expansive video game collection. His Starcraft record is immaculate, though you've received a few angry phone calls from Blizzard regarding toxic behavior coming from your IP.



Yan Zhao: In the wake of the ThornTec incident, Yan has been kept busy managing the team's press appearances, news conferences and various media obligations. She's yet to complain about the workload, but you get the feeling there might be more coffee than blood in her veins at this point.



Mayor Price: Accused of colluding with ThornTec and intentionally covering up the existence of Red Lung, Mayor Price is currently under investigation by the federal government, but has not yet been charged with anything and continues to serve as Mayor. He has publicly laid blame for the conspiracy at Chief Grayson's feet, claiming that he was unaware of the corrupt Police Chief's dealings with the Blackthornes. You haven't spoken to him personally since the gala, but you've overheard Yan engaged in more than a few angry phone calls with him.



Chief Grayson: Posthumously disgraced and stripped of awards, Chief Anthony Grayson was buried in a small, private ceremony attended only by his daughter and a few close colleagues. The discovery of his role in covering up ThornTec's abductions, documented by Ace Herald reporter Ana Taera, was a public outrage and a huge blow to the Ace City PD's reputation among the populace. Where before many citizens distrusted the Valor Corps, that anger has now turned on the police, with many citizens demanding the entire department be replaced.



Diane Grayson: Following her father's death, Diane has been spearheading an internal investigation within the Ace City PD, seeking to root out other detectives like Frank Horrigan who were helping to cover up the disappearances. The investigation is classified even to the Valor Corps, and you haven't heard much from Diane since ThornTec's defeat. Her injuries from the battle with Rohan have healed up, but she has refused psychological counseling, and several co-workers have expressed concern.



Marble: Marble's showcase gallery was cancelled in the wake of her abduction, and she has yet to re-open. Instead, her time has been spent in support groups and physical therapy alongside the other abductees. She remains in contact with Whisper, but seems even more quiet and reclusive now than she was before her abduction.



Sergeant John Mahoney: Now properly diagnosed as a Red Lung victim, Sergeant Mahoney and other Red December veterans were transferred to a medical facility under the care of Dr. Lawson. While they're not accepting visitors, Sonicheart recently received a letter from him thanking her for her role in defeating ThornTec and expressing his pride in her convictions.



Mataora: The tattooed warrior willingly surrendered himself to the courts for the murder of Frank Horrigan, but due to a combination of a legitimate self-defense claim and his role in helping the Valor Corps save the city, a state judge cleared Mataora of all charges. He continues to operate a dojo out of Ace City's east side, where he counsels at-risk youth through a combination of spirituality and martial arts training.



Elizabeth Blackthorne: Narrowly avoiding a trip to Mt. Markham for her crimes, Elizabeth Blackthorne was imprisoned in a maximum-security women's correctional facility. While ordinarily she would have fought the charges, it seems that she pled guilty and even tried to expedite her imprisonment- apparently she wishes to remain locked away until such time as her mutation can be cured. Stripped of both her financial assets and her political power, it doesn't seem like she'll be going anywhere any time soon.



Brock Tanner: Following his arrest, Tanner was identified as an ex-Canadian Special Forces soldier guilty of several war crimes and drug trafficking charges. He has since been extradited to Canada and is awaiting trial.



Rohan Blackthorne: Following her defeat at Braun Labs, Rohan fell into a coma from which she has yet to awaken. Deemed too dangerous for ordinary prison, she was shipped to Mt. Markham Prison in Antarctica; you have heard nothing of her since. Given Markham's reputation, you most likely never will.



Blackjack: Shortly after his interrogation at your hands, Yan Zhao handed Blackjack over to the Ace City PD- only for him to escape in the chaos of Rohan's attack. You haven't seen him since, though several casinos have since reported missing funds.



Interns A through D: Following ThornTec's dissolution and the acquisition of its assets by rival companies, the four nameless interns were forced to find work elsewhere. Last you heard, they were following up on a LinkedIn invite from someone named Wiggins in New York City.



Project: CERBERUS: Your mutant dog friend arrived at the surface along with Marble and the other Chimera infectees; you have since adopted him as an unofficial member of your team. He likes pets, walks, and bacon! Also, he still seems to capable of breathing fire. So that's a plus.



Shock Jock: To his surprise, Dr. Jacques was not assassinated by Elizabeth Blackthorne, who seemed to forget who he was. Great news! Bad news: he instead received a life sentence in a max-security men's facility for cruelty to both humans AND animals. Apparently at his trial, he inadvertently doomed his own defense when he stated that he "would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling kids and their dog."



Dr. Lawson: Suffering from a heavier mutation than other Chimera infectees, Dr. Lawson has taken to his new body with remarkable good cheer, ordering a new laboratory custom-made to fit his new frame. He remains in contact with Ashlyn Silvermane, and is currently running carefully-monitored research on both Red Lung and Chimera victims in hopes of finding a cure.



Ana Taera: Cured from Chimera, Ana Taera retained her superpowers, but elected not to join the Valor Corps- she stated that she's more interested in reporting the news than in creating it. Returning to the Ace City Herald, her first story was a damning first-hand exposé on ThornTec's crimes and the police conspiracy that enabled them. She is also involved in support groups for Chimera survivors, helping them to work through the trauma of their mutations.


And lastly...


The Valor Corps: Following their victory over ThornTec, the Valor Corps of Ace City have been heralded worldwide as the champions who exposed a dark secret that was consuming the city from within. As faith in "ordinary" law enforcement dwindles, the Valor Corps are being treated with more and more respect and reverence. However, not everyone is pleased with the outcome. During the final battle, 29% of the city was flooded with Chimera, and while most of the infected areas were evacuated beforehand, some of those left behind were transformed into monsters, and others lost their lives. A few special interest groups have accused the Valor Corps of not doing their jobs properly and lay blame for the incident at the team's feet.

For the most part, however, these groups are but a vocal minority: most of the city has recognized your efforts, and it seems the Valor Corps have finally been accepted by the people as the true guardians of Ace City.