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Originally Published:
2008-06-12
Last Updated:
2010-08-16
Original Concept:
Scott Kennerknecht
Final Design:
Gerry Harris |
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House Rules |
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For centuries the magical community
has been a loose conglomeration of secret societies and individuals with
no central directing authority. Those non-magical individuals and
organizations aware of the existence of the magical community have
generally considered this situation ideal.
Now, however, a mysterious person or
group is attempting to unite the diverse magical community under a
single banner. Those seeking to thwart this effort, including
members of the magical community, are systematically and ruthlessly
hunted down and exterminated.
Background
Conclusion
Editor's Note
Situation
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Editor's Note
This is not a "one-off" adventure, but rather an ongoing campaign
(either the primary story, or a background struggle that
occasionally involves the player characters) set in the
Dark
Ęther universe.
The war begins sometime in the late
19th or early 20th centuries. The PCs, whether Empathic or not,
should not be aware of the war initially, and should only awaken to it
over a period of many adventures. Referees should include news
reports dealing with mysterious crimes, assassinations or accidents
(along with other news) and let the players eventually deduce the
ultimate cause of these incidents for themselves. A few red
herrings never hurt, either.
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Background
In the late 19th century, a
mysterious secret magical society simply known as
The
Order began actively recruiting Empaths around the world.
Empaths who refused to join disappeared or died under mysterious
circumstances. At the same time its members began infiltrating
and influencing governments and corporations. It soon became
obvious to the few people following the situation that
The
Order was making a bid for world domination. Various
individuals, government agencies, and secret societies (magical or
non-magical) began either to opt to join
The
Order in its schemes (with the hope of a say in the coming
order) or to band together to fight it. Thus began "The
Wizards' War."
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Situation
PCs can become involved in the war in
any number of ways:
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PCs working as government agents
(for any government) might be recruited by a special department
within the agency with knowledge of the ongoing struggle (c.f.,
MI-B).
The agency may be working for
The
Order helping it track down and recruit or kill Empaths, or it may
be fighting against
The
Order. Either way, the players should only be given
enough information to accomplish their missions; knowledge of the
war should only learned as the PCs begin piecing together various
clues spread across numerous adventures.
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Non-governmental PCs may be hired
to protect an individual from
The
Order or by
The
Order or one of its subsidiaries to kill an individual.
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Empathic PCs will eventually be
approached about joining
The
Order. However, this will not be a direct
recruitment, and the PCs may believe they are actually working for
someone else altogether. Only after they begin to piece
together various clues should it become apparent what is actually
happening.
Above all else, the referee should
refrain from revealing the existence of the war and let the players
piece it together for themselves.
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Conclusion
There is no "conclusion" per se to
this campaign.
The
Order may eventually be defeated or succeed in its endeavors;
however the PCs are highly unlikely to learn this, even if they have a
hand in it. Even if
The
Order is defeated, various elements may survive to wage
a guerrilla war or work to reconstitute the organization at a later
date.
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