Under the Bus
Under the Bus
Campaign: Under the Bus
Setting: Campaign World
Rules: D&D 3.5
Campaign Era: Approximately 100 years after the Fall of the Age of Wonders
Status: Completed campaign history; final events documented in post-campaign notes
Source Base: Complete Source Correspondence
Overview
Under the Bus takes place approximately one hundred years after the Fall of the Age of Wonders, in a world still recovering from the destruction caused by the rise of the new gods and the separation of Demmazon's realm from the world.
The campaign begins in the isolated Outlands town of Carlson, where a group of adventurers becomes entangled in a conflict that gradually expands from local troubles into a struggle involving the The Chosen, the Church of Demmazon, werewolves, vampires, the ancient city of Aegea, the artifact known as The Aegisstaff, and the surviving secrets of the Age of Wonders.
The campaign ultimately reveals that the seemingly unrelated plagues, werewolf outbreaks, undead armies, and inability to restore the dead are connected to a much older consequence of the Fall. The campaign's documented conclusion involves the recovery of Thorn Runehammer's supposedly lost Gift, the defeat of Cain and Filtiarn, the destruction of the barrier preventing souls from reaching the afterlife, and the ascension of Thorn and the combined Orinder and Kelestaria as Orin-Kel.
1. Historical Background
The Korvak War
Long before the campaign, the world was threatened by the alien Korvaks.
During the war, Demmazon revealed himself to the world as the One True God and revealed that he was the creator of the world and of magic. He gave mortals the ability to manipulate magic so that they could fight the Korvaks.
Demmazon created the powerful artifacts known as The Five Gifts. Their creation drew upon the power embedded in the world itself. The power involved was so immense that Demmazon ultimately fused part of his own realm with the world.
The fusion created the enormous gateway at the edge of the world leading to Demmazon's realm. The ambient magical power associated with that connection eventually allowed magic to become widespread among mortals.
The Five Gifts were wielded by a group of champions during the Korvak War:
| Gift | Bearer | Known Specialization |
|---|---|---|
| White Gift | Vestal Stone | All-powerful; no specialized focus |
| Red Gift | Kjeldin | Offensive / Evocation |
| Blue Gift | Salendaius Moonstrike | Conjuration |
| Yellow Gift | Alantarin the Wise | Protection |
| Green Gift | Thorn Runehammer | Transmutation, though its deeper nature was concealed |
The historical correspondence contains older descriptions that use ordinal names such as "First Gift," "Second Gift," and so forth. The campaign documentation should use the established Gift colors instead.
The White Gift
The White Gift was the most powerful and was wielded by Vestal Stone, the first paladin of Demmazon.
Vestal became the leader of the Gift Bearers because of both his character and the unmatched power of the White Gift. He ultimately sacrificed himself to help imprison the surviving Korvak leader after the Gift Bearers determined that they could not defeat the being directly.
The Red Gift
The Red Gift was the Offensive or Evocation Gift.
It was wielded by Kjeldin the Destroyer, whose devastating use of its power during the Korvak War earned him his nickname.
After the war, Kjeldin became increasingly unable to live without the power of the Gift. He eventually went searching for Alantarin the Wise, who had taken responsibility for protecting the remaining Gifts.
The Blue Gift
The Blue Gift was wielded by Salendaius Moonstrike, an elven priest.
Its power centered on conjuration and summoning. During the Korvak War, Salendaius used it to prevent a demonic incursion and created the volcano that became known as Demonmount around the sealed rift.
Salendaius died in that battle, and the Blue Gift was lost.
The Yellow Gift
The Yellow Gift was the Protection Gift and was wielded by Alantarin the Wise.
After the Korvak War, Alantarin withdrew to a hidden mountain temple to guard the remaining Gifts.
The Green Gift
The Green Gift belonged to Thorn Runehammer, king of the dwarves.
Its publicly understood nature was associated with Transmutation. Its deeper nature and capabilities were deliberately concealed.
After the Korvak War, Thorn publicly claimed that he had returned the Gift to Demmazon. This was later revealed to have been a deception: Thorn had actually hidden the Gift beneath Aegea.
2. The Fall of the Age of Wonders
After the Korvak War, the world entered the Age of Wonders.
The Gifts were eventually hidden because their power was considered too dangerous to leave freely in mortal hands.
Generations later, Correries, the son of Kjeldin, became obsessed with the power of the Gifts. His ambitions were encouraged by Marstalbin, secretly a surviving Korvak who possessed the lost Gift of Salendaius Moonstrike. Correries eventually obtained Gifts and began using their power to pursue his own ambitions.
His experiments contributed to the creation of the orcs and drow, while his associate Riatin experimented with necromancy and became the first lich. Riatin's cohort Cain became the first vampire.
The conflict escalated into the events known as the Fall of the Age of Wonders.
The Rise of the Gods
Six mortals ultimately ascended to godhood during the Fall.
Correries was the first. Magerris followed him and rose in opposition to Correries.
The conflict between them led to the ascension of additional allies:
The conflict devastated the world. The battle between the new gods destroyed Rictaria and created Godsmount.
Demmazon was eventually freed from the prison that had contained him. To prevent the newly ascended gods from continuing to devastate the mortal world, Demmazon separated his realm from the world.
The gateway connecting the two realms collapsed. Only a handful of survivors escaped back into the world. Thorn Runehammer was the last survivor to cross before the gateway closed. The event left him completely cut off from magic.
3. The World One Hundred Years Later
A century after the Fall, the world remains politically and religiously fractured.
The Church of Demmazon is the dominant organized power in much of the human world. Under the influence of Samos, the Church has increasingly enforced the belief that Demmazon is the One True God and that worship of other gods is heresy.
Non-humans and followers of other gods are increasingly persecuted.
The world is also suffering from problems that seem impossible to explain:
- mysterious diseases and plagues;
- increasing numbers of werewolves;
- vampires and undead;
- strange magical phenomena;
- the inability to restore the dead through normal means;
- political and religious conflict surrounding the Church;
- renewed interest in artifacts from the Age of Wonders.
4. The Adventure Begins in Carlson
The campaign begins in the Outlands town of Carlson, near Godsmount and north of the eastern forest.
The town is small and relatively isolated. The party begins as mercenaries with little wealth and a local reputation.
The opening incident involves a persecuted half-elf arriving in town while being harassed by locals.
The party intervenes, beginning a chain of events that eventually draws them into the larger conflict.
5. The Chosen
The party eventually becomes involved with The Chosen, an organization descended from the heroes and founders associated with the campaign world's earlier history.
The Chosen possess unusual supernatural abilities and operate from the Tower of Plinth.
The party becomes part of the Chosen's larger struggle and gradually discovers that the organization has withheld significant information about both the nature of the Chosen and their abilities.
Effron serves as an important early leader. Later, Quentin, the last surviving Founder, increasingly relies upon Marcus and Tim as senior members of the Chosen.
6. The Werewolf Plague
The party becomes involved in a growing werewolf threat.
The werewolves are not merely isolated monsters. An organized force is operating behind them, and the party eventually discovers connections between the werewolves, Filtiarn, and a spreading plague.
The investigation eventually takes the party to Toreon and into conflict with the Church of Demmazon.
The party discovers that the Church possesses information concerning the ancient history of the world and the creation of The Aegisstaff.
7. Toreon and the Church of Demmazon
Toreon has become a major center of the Church under Samos.
The Church's increasingly rigid interpretation of the Edict of Unification Under One God creates serious conflict with the party's elven allies and followers of other gods. The party is eventually captured by agents of the Church.
Their imprisonment and subsequent interactions with Church officials reveal that the Church is deeply interested in The Aegisstaff. Although the party initially distrusts Samos, circumstances eventually lead to an uneasy cooperation concerning the search for the artifact.
8. Aegea and the Quest for the Cure
The party investigates the ruins of Aegea and uncovers information about an ancient plague.
Through the surviving historical material, they learn that The Aegisstaff was created in ancient Aegea and possessed powers associated with preventing disease and preserving life. The staff also contributed to Aegea's unusually productive agriculture and the extraordinary longevity of its inhabitants.
The investigation establishes that Magerris was the Keeper of The Aegisstaff before ascending to godhood. The last known historical sighting of the staff occurred when Magerris carried it during his battle with Correries over Rictaria.
9. The Search for The Aegisstaff
The party determines that The Aegisstaff may be the key to combating the werewolf plague. Research leads them toward Godsmount and eventually to the End of the World.
Further questioning establishes that The Aegisstaff itself is not there, but that the journey beyond the End of the World is necessary to uncover the answers. A Divination from Demmazon confirms that the answers they seek lie at the End of the World.
The party eventually reaches the end of the world and discovers a surviving but mostly abandoned settlement. There they encounter Thorn Runehammer, who has survived the Fall for roughly a century.
10. Thorn Runehammer
Thorn reveals his history to the party. He explains that he was one of the original Gift Bearers and that he survived the collapse of the gateway between the world and Demmazon's realm. He has spent the intervening century living in isolation.
Thorn also reveals that he knows what happened to the soul of Jack, the samurai. When the party encounters an avatar of Correries in Demmazon's realm, Jack's soul had been trapped within a gemstone.
Thorn asks the party to retrieve the gem, known as a Rogue Stone, in exchange for helping them find The Aegisstaff. The party agrees. They enter Demmazon's realm, recover the Rogue Stone, and eventually return Jack's soul to his body.
11. The Return of Jack and the Escalation of the War
After returning from Demmazon's realm, the party learns that the world has deteriorated further.
Cain and Filtiarn are both building powerful forces. The party's attempts to use The Aegisstaff to fight the plague bring them into increasingly direct conflict with both the undead and the Church.
The party's allies become scattered.
Orinder becomes increasingly important because of his unusual ability to raise the dead.
Kelestaria becomes closely associated with Orinder, and the two eventually fall in love.
12. Cain and Filtiarn
The two major supernatural threats eventually emerge as distinct but overlapping enemies.
Cain commands armies of undead. Filtiarn commands werewolves and uses the plague to expand his influence.
The party's use of The Aegisstaff dramatically reduces the spread of the disease and prevents many new werewolf infections.
The war nevertheless becomes increasingly desperate.
The party operates from the Durran Jungle with their elven allies, conducting guerrilla attacks while constantly moving The Aegisstaff to prevent their enemies from locating it.
13. Full-Moon Darkness
A new phenomenon appears. During the full moon, the world is plunged into darkness for three days.
The shadow covering the moon resembles a gauntleted fist and becomes known as Filtiarn's Fist. The phenomenon recurs with each full moon.
The party survives the first period of darkness while continuing to fight both Cain's undead and Filtiarn's forces. The The Aegisstaff remains the central object of the conflict.
14. The Dark Times
The campaign eventually enters a period known as the Dark Times.
The party is attacked repeatedly by Cain's forces and by the forces of Filtiarn.
The Sunchaser and Tower of Plinth remain important strategic resources, but the party is increasingly forced to operate under extreme pressure.
Cain's forces repeatedly attack the party's equipment, while Filtiarn's forces continue expanding their influence.
The Church simultaneously demands possession of The Aegisstaff.
The world effectively becomes divided among several major powers, including Cain's undead forces, Filtiarn's forces, the Church and Toreon, and the party's eastern alliance with the elves and other allies.
15. The Last Played Campaign Material
The final surviving campaign recap, Dark Times, records the party continuing to fight Cain's forces while attempting to preserve The Aegisstaff.
Cain's forces eventually destroy the Red Dragon Effigy carrying the staff, but Cain returns to gloat and gives the party an opportunity to recover it. The party retakes The Aegisstaff.
They remain under relentless assault from both Cain's and Filtiarn's forces. The full-moon darkness eventually ends after three days, but the phenomenon recurs every full moon.
The party attempts to establish cooperation between their elven allies and Toreon, but Samos' religious policies prevent meaningful cooperation.
The campaign recap ends with the party still fighting a desperate guerrilla war.
At this point, actual play stopped.
16. The Documented Campaign Ending
The correspondence contains a Post Campaign Notes section documenting significant events that were intended to occur after the final played sessions.
These events are part of the campaign's recorded conclusion even though they were not played through at the table.
The Destruction of The Aegisstaff
The party is eventually confronted simultaneously by the Gauntlet of the Moon, Cain's army, agents of the Church of Demmazon, and others seeking The Aegisstaff.
A tremendous battle follows.
The staff is ultimately broken into pieces, apparently destroying the possibility of using its power to stop the plagues.
17. Thorn's Secret
With hope apparently lost, Thorn Runehammer finally reveals the truth about the Green Gift.
The historical account had said that Thorn returned his Gift to Demmazon after the Korvak War. This was a deliberate deception.
Thorn had actually hidden the Gift beneath the ruins of Aegea, in the place where Demmazon had first revealed himself to the world.
The Gift has remained magically protected there for centuries. The party must recover it.
18. Kelestaria's Sacrifice
Recovering the hidden Gift requires passing through powerful protections. Kelestaria sacrifices herself so that the party can reach the Gift. Her death devastates Orinder.
Because she was killed by a death effect, Orinder's special ability to raise the dead cannot restore her. The loss leaves Orinder nearly catatonic.
Nevertheless, the party succeeds in recovering Thorn's Gift.
19. The Final War
With the Gift restored to him, Thorn Runehammer is able to use its power against the forces threatening the world.
He ultimately defeats:
- Cain;
- Filtiarn;
- the corrupt leadership of the Church of Demmazon.
It is also revealed in the final fight against Filtiarn that the founder of the Temple of the Moon and the person behind the effort to restore Filtiarn turned out to be Stegner, one of the Founders of the Chosen who had previously been believed dead. Stegner was killed and Filtiarn was banished/trapped away from the world.
But the party discovers that the plagues and inability to restore the dead have a deeper cause.
The supernatural disasters are not simply the result of Cain or Filtiarn.
20. The Barrier
The party discovers that when Demmazon separated his realm from the world, a barrier was created that trapped spiritual energy.
The barrier prevents souls from properly reaching the afterlife or returning to their bodies. It is also connected to the spreading plagues.
The characters initially speculate that the barrier may have been created intentionally by a powerful surviving enemy such as Ulanthar or Correries.
The documented truth is different. Marstalbin created the barrier as a counterstroke against the destruction of the prison that had contained Demmazon.
He had infused the prison with spiritual energy as a trap. When the prison was destroyed and Demmazon separated his realm from the world, that trap triggered, forming the barrier.
21. The Ascension of Thorn and Orin-Kel
Thorn realizes that simply possessing the Gift is not enough to destroy the barrier. The only way to break it is to use the Gift's power in the same fundamental manner by which mortals had previously ascended to godhood.
Orinder's unusual ability to raise the dead provides another essential component. The plan is for Thorn to split the power of the Gift, taking part of it himself while channeling the remainder through Orinder.
Orinder, however, sees another possibility. Rather than merely acting as a conduit, he uses the power to reach toward Kelestaria. The power ultimately combines Orinder and Kelestaria into a single divine entity:
At the same time, Thorn Runehammer ascends as a god. Thorn is able to destroy the barrier. With the barrier gone, souls can once again pass to the afterlife and return to their bodies through magic.
Thorn and Orin-Kel ascend beyond the barrier and join the existing pantheon.
22. The Pantheon at the End of Under the Bus
At the conclusion of the campaign's documented history, the pantheon consists of:
This leaves nine gods in total.
23. Campaign End-State
The major consequences of the campaign are:
- The Aegisstaff is broken during the final struggle.
- Thorn's supposedly lost Green Gift is recovered from beneath Aegea.
- Kelestaria dies while helping recover the Gift.
- Cain is defeated.
- Filtiarn is defeated.
- The corrupt leadership of the Church of Demmazon is defeated.
- The spiritual barrier preventing souls from reaching the afterlife is destroyed.
- Resurrection and other means of restoring the dead become possible again.
- Thorn Runehammer ascends as a god.
- Orinder and Kelestaria become the combined divine being Orin-Kel.
- The balance of the pantheon is restored.
24. Campaign Legacy
The events of Under the Bus become part of the ancient history of the world.
By the modern era, approximately ten thousand years later, much of this history has become distorted, forgotten, or replaced by legends.
In particular, the true nature of:
- the Five Gifts;
- the Fall of the Age of Wonders;
- Demmazon's separation from the world;
- the true identity and history of the gods;
- Thorn's Green Gift;
- the cause of the ancient plagues;
- the barrier separating mortal life from the afterlife;
is largely inaccessible to ordinary people.
The campaign therefore serves as one of the major historical bridges between the Age of Wonders and the much later world of the current campaign.
