The Ark of HopeAgainst the black sea of stars, a ball of flame hurtled towards Midgard, hanging in the sky like a red sun. On closer inspection, that ball was no sphere, but a roiling cluster of devils straight from the Nine Hells themselves.
That was the image flickering in the massive palantir in the Emperor’s throne room, enabled by the court’s scrying magicks.
It was just as the prophecy from generations ago had foretold. Countless devils would fall upon Midgard and incinerate it.
The Emperor looked out from his balcony above the city, watching it burn amidst riots. With doomsday upon them, the world was in chaos.
A last glimpse to steel his resolve, before the king turned to his men.
“It is the last hope left to us now. The Ark. Go, and prepare.”
The prophecy had spoken of a shelter made to withstand the invasion, built in the ruins of Caelmaran. It had been lost in the great Mage Wars of the Wasted West, but now, in their time of need, it had been found once again.
A great sanctuary to house the spirits of those who could survive humanity’s end and carry its dreams forward into the future.
At the Emperor’s word, lawful demiliches encased the souls of the willing into Soul Shards that would house their spirits.
Somebody would have to take those Soul Shards through the nightmarish realm of the Wasted West, and reclaim what became known as the Ark of Hope. They would shepherd the last souls of mankind before the rest were lost to invasion.
The Soul Shards would be absorbed into the Ark, and kept safe until a future time came.
Many were sent to claim it, but none were successful. At the best of times, it would have been a suicide mission.
Now it is the eve of the apocalypse. The Devil Sun draws closer than it ever has before, and will make landfall at midnight.
Though Midgard is doomed, the Ark of Hope will ensure that at least a minority will escape that infernal fate.
You have been brought together as the last willing group that has not given up to despair, called the Last Stewards, who will shepherd humanity's exodus. Your reputations have preceded you, and once again the hope of the people rests on your shoulders.
The Emperor’s mages have pinpointed the general location of the Ark of Hope and can teleport you within distance of it.
Everything rests on your shoulders.
Welcome back, folks, to the next game, Ark of Hope. It takes place in the same setting as Menet-Ka's Grasp: Midgard.
Menet-Ka leaned in the direction of a gritty, survivalist killer dungeon. This time, it'll still be challenging, but we're going in the opposite direction with a heroic narrative that puts emphasis on story. In other words, the game isn't about a bunch of nobodies scrabbling for treasure but about heroes stepping up during doomsday. In either case, it will still be a dungeon crawl, and coming out the other end alive will be questionable.
Tone wise, this has been compared to Heaven's Feel.
For the character creation requirements and setting information, check the Google Doc I've put together for this game.
This game will be a bit more roleplay heavy.
If I was to compare it to Menet Ka...
MENET-KA
Combat: 8/10
Exploration: 8/10
Roleplaying: 3/10
ARK OF HOPE
Combat: 8/10
Exploration: 8/10
Roleplaying: 5/10
This is my rough estimate of how much of each element is present in each. Combat and roleplaying should be an obvious category, but "exploration" involves the part of D&D that includes lore, languages, traps, investigations, puzzles, riddles, travel, that sort of thing.
If you're interested in playing, just sign up here, and take a look at the Google Doc.
It will be a while before any games actually happen, but consider this your chance to think of your ideas. You may re-use your character from Menet-Ka -- if they survived. I still have to decide whether or not I will use the same groups as before, or scramble them.
I will wait and see who signs up before making a decision.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by mAc Chaos
