Echoes LARP

The Crags of Ashen Ruin

It is theorized that the Crags of Ashen Ruin was once a world of lush forests, vast plains, and meandering rivers. What remains of the world is a ruinous wasteland ringed by volcanic mountains and bordering a crimson sea. A looming red sun hangs over the Crags as a reminder of past failings and an ill omen for the days to come.

No one is quite sure what happened to the world of old. Many have attempted to divine on the matter, but to little effect. What is known of the past is that there was once a great civilization of crystal and marble that dominated the landscape. Fragments of this past world still exist, but only in the form of windswept ruins.

Modern history starts at an event known as The Great Sundering: a cataclysm that radiated from the greatest cities and razed almost the entire world. The blast was sudden and devastating and those within the cities were annihilated instantly. The few who have visited these ruins, and lived to tell the tale, have spoken of the shadows of the doomed that have been burned into the stone. The cause of the blast is well known to all who remain: Sorcery.

Sorcery is a force of great primordial evil. It draws upon the Dark Powers to sow destruction and chaos. Practitioners of the Art, called Shapers, somehow survived the Sundering and continue to plot from atop towers of volcanic glass. Their ultimate goals and societal structure remain a mystery.

When the rubble had finally settled the souls of the damned returned to wreak havoc upon the world that consumed them. Thus the Ashen Children were born, horrific beings made of ash whose only known purpose is vengeance. These cursed creatures haunt the ruins of the old world, but frequently wander the wastes and mountains in search of victims.

While the Sundering was violent and sudden it did not completely eradicate humanity. The outlanders who lived in the vast wilderness were safe from the worst of the blast. When the Ashen Children came for the survivors the humans fought them back with desperate strength. These battle-hardened warriors came to be known as the Keepers.

Makeup Requirements

None.

Advantages

The Keepers value strength in all its forms and are renowned for their talents of healing and combat. They blame the Shapers’ dark magics for the destruction of the world. The Keepers have survived in the harsh desolation in part due to the spirits with whom they’ve formed pacts. The Keepers offer their bodies to shelter the spirits from the dying world and in exchange the spirits use the life force of the Keepers to bring fertility back to the land. Because of their ancient pacts, Keepers may purchase the first levels of Survival and Healing for 5 CP and the second level of the Strong OR Tough Trait for 10 CP.

An Important Note for Players

Characters from the Crags of Ashen Ruin come into play with a spirit “tether” and therefore cannot accept Scionships from other spirits. Players must work with staff when creating a spirit. All spirits should represent a feature of the landscape from the Pre-Sundering Era of the Crags. Upon entry to the Echolands, a character’s spirit will become dormant. All other interactions with your spirit are FOIP.