A Past and Future Secret - The Desert Will Decide Your Fates
Dungeons & Dragons 5e | Campaign
About the adventure
Xenok—Land of burning sands and constant danger. To the people of the prosperous land of Nelaria, it is a cursed place, a death sentence, where the sun bleaches bones and monsters abound. But to those who know the ways of the desert, it reveals itself to be a complex place with a way of life of its own. Beneath the dunes, secrets of a past and future filled with lost wealth and knowledge. Although not very inviting, adventurers often encounter Xenok for a variety of reasons. Many seek the riches of ancient empires that have been left for those brave enough to seek them. Others seek to find what was denied them in other lands, such as forbidden knowledge, revenge against former enemies, or recognition for their bravery and deeds. But beyond the unforgiving nature of the desert and its inhabitants, Xenok is also home to civilizations as unique and ruthless as its reputation. The Sultanate of Temoh to the south rises from what little fertile ground remains on the continent, with its harsh laws and warring guilds and factions. The Badlands are home to many nomadic tribes who have adapted and made the sands their domain. To the south, the Valley of the Wandering Cities is one of the strangest and most alien societies on this world, where the Desertlanders have built their homes beneath the backs of colossal, walking beasts, the infamous Behemoths. Last but not least, the Shadowlands to the northwest of the continent hold the city of the dead, the Nekropolis, where necromancers and undead rule in perpetual darkness and practice their foul arts. Survival is not guaranteed. The heat will break you. The sand will bury you. The greedy will betray you. But should you endure, Xenok’s greatest secrets may yet be yours.
The day and time can be talked in a session zero, the same for the frequency of sessions. The survival aspect of the game can also be adjusted to taste of the party, but I recommend that we use more gritty rules at least in the early levels.
4.8
(4)
2 years on StartPlaying
4 games hosted
Highly rated for: Rule of Cool, Storytelling, Inclusive
Average response time: 10 hours
Response rate: 75%
Additional details
How to prepare
A good microfone and a PC that runs Foundry smoothly. If you're a beginner at the game I will help you to set it all.
What I provide
The game will be run in my discord server, where, if you want, you can chat with players of other games set in the same world, and players from other parts of the world as well. For VTT we will use Foundry with a couple of modules. Some maps are of my own making using Inkarnate, others will be from premium map creators I support. There is also soundtrack that I will control to set each scenes emotions. I try my best to voice each NPC distinctively (I'm no VA, just a RP lover hehe) and most of the important NPCs have their own Personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws which I use as guidelines to roleplay them. Combat can be adjusted as the players preferences, I like creating challenging encountes but I do also have fun by making them simpler nonetheless.
Gameplay details
We will discuss any and all lines and veils in a session zero in call or, if the players prefer, they can send their limitations directly to me and I'll make sure the game will run smoothly
Content warnings
Safety tools used
• Aftercare
• Breaks
• Debriefing
• Lines and Veils
• Open Door
• Session 0
• X, N, and O Cards
How will character creation work
I suggest you bring two or three character concepts to session zero to see what better fits the party. The party doesn't need to be "balanced" (you don't need to play a cleric or healer if the party doesn't have one; if no one has healing magic then health potions will become more common, and so on for each "role" of the game). We will how each concept fit with the initial adventure hooks I have in mind. For character sheets we can create them directly into Foundry, using point buy and discuss which of the 2024 rules we can start using. All official content is good to use, even MTG settings or content from CR, Dragonlance, etc. For homebrew content I have some in my setting already, and content from Valda's Spire of Secrets, the Blood Hunter and from the Dungeon Dudes books are good to use. Other homebrew has to be analyzed before the game starts and is subjected to nerfs.
Players can expect
Combat / Tactics
High
Roleplay
High
Puzzles
Medium
Experience level
Open to all
Platforms used
• Discord
• Foundry VTT
$12.00
/ Session
Each player will be charged when a session starts.
Details
Weekly / Friday - 2:00 AM UTC
2-4 Hour duration
1 / 6 Seats filled
Requirements
Experience required: Open to all
Age: 18+