The bustling township of Apothicus, An immense city of craftsman, magical or otherwise. Years before it had become a hub for adventurers it was a tiny village. It is from this place a lone mage had traveled to perfect their craft and create a space that would be known later as the Infinity Bridge. The dream of this once glorious tower was meant to be the beginning of a grand and vast empire.
Interlinking portals to every inch of the known world were to be established and anchored here at the hub tower of Malus Etheri, known in his glory days as the greatest master of portal magic to have ever existed. His work alone had laid the foundation for Iron Peak to amass the riches and security it flaunts today thanks to his work anchoring permanent gateways that could be easily created and dismantled.
Many know the old saying of never reaching too far. Malus was not one to allow himself such limitations.
Not satisfied with merely traveling the world, Malus began far more dangerous experiments in the seclusion of his isolated tower. What started as reaching out to the Astral plane or the realm of demons grew to larger and larger aspirations as his obsession brought about the creation of our worlds greatest artifact.
From his expansive tower he created the Archstone.
Shaped like a diamond, it was created from what many speculate to be a piece of reality itself. The result of folding rifts uncounted into each other, an attempt to create a way of choosing a destination and accessing it through a singular Archway. His creation was believed to unlock the mysteries of every corner of the world, everywhere from the front of his tower door to the pits of the demon pits itself.
The stone did much more than give instantaneous transport to the known and unknown parts of the world; it had unlocked rifts created by the diamond itself. Roaming fields of green rich with flowers and blooming trees, dark caverns filled with jewels beneath the hard rock, and some speculate that it can even transport you to the realm of the afterlife. None have ever dared.. Not since Malus took his greatest reach.
To the realms beyond worlds.
The twisting chaotic nether. True infinity stretched beyond space and time. Malus succeeded in his ultimate search for infinity and so it was fated to be consumed by it.
The crystal had been unstable, the magic tethering the various realms and worlds together via the rifts was crumbling ever so slowly as every use expanded its many destinations. The eruption of his greatest workings would have torn the known universe asunder in an attempt to return itself to 'normal'. In a last ditch effort to save not only his life's work but the trillions of lives he now realized he had put in peril, Malus shackled his very soul into the center of the diamond.
It's core now holds a sickly red shimmer with countless almost imperceptible lines spider-webbing inside its multicolored facets.
"Tower of Malus Etheri; Master of the Infinity Bridge, traveler of the unknown, Hero of the Iron Peaks"
(Note: The Infinity Bridge is located 30 minutes from the city of Apothicus)
Rather than abandoning the greatest achievement of their lifetime, the mage lords were quick to seize the land surrounding their former colleagues tower and began the transformation from simple village to thriving city.
Resources flowed openly for well over 50 years to create a similar township to the Iron Peaks and expand the village into what we know it as today. With the use of the bridge drawing in the brave souls from across the globe, spending their hard earned coin at every shop available, the township quickly became its own city state seemingly overnight.
Attempts to unravel the mystery of the Infinity bridge over the years have yielded bountiful fruit when they discovered it served as a gateway, following the research Malus had left behind.
Despite great advancements in control over the bridge, without the creator of the gemstone to show them its many unrecorded secrets, the diamond has begun to create its own rifts filled with life. Often times drawing upon the real world to replicate terrors unseen by humans.
Colossal insects roam a sprawling hive bursting with treasure.
The vast plains of the eastern kingdoms, largely desolate, now house barbarian tribes bent on destroying invaders.
Burning wreckage where kingdoms once towered to the skies, destroyed by monstrous orcs and their kin.
Each one of these scenarios is referred to as a 'Infinite Dungeon'. A looped scenario similar to a story that is repeated in the crystals depths without end. No two instances of such events have ever overlapped perfectly, making them difficult to truly predict.
Adventurers have cropped up from all around the world as word of glory and wealth are whispered into their ear day after day. This growth in the life of combat and exploration has given rise to the Advent Guild house and the Church of the Endless, organized to scout rifts for others to fully explore and clear.
In the city proper there are many areas to explore:
Taverns litter every corner, offering hearty food and a warm bed for those who can strike their fortune in the rifts.
Hospits and healing pavilions have sprung from the seemingly endless flow of wounded caught unaware by the deadly threats lurking over the horizon now.
Farmlands dot the countryside, great mansions for the nobles and a gigantic structure in the middle of town now houses the Church of the endless Ones.
The church is where those faithful to the unnamed come to pay their respects. For a fee, you can store a piece of your soul within a blood crystal and should you be killed in the rifts, you will be resurrected in perfect likeness of how you were before death. Even your equipment is returned, so long as it is marked with the sigil of the mage emporium.
The Magi Emporium is a series of merchant stores who have made a tidy profit off the buying and selling of magical artifacts, weapons, armor, potions, anything under the sun that an aspiring adventurer would need to brave the unknown.
Their specialty is a sigil that can be etched upon a piece of equipment that will allow it to be summoned from the rift it was lost in, only if it was not destroyed beforehand. They also supply the markers placed on rift treasure that transfers the item from the rift to our world upon exiting the pocket dimension.
The Adventurers Guild is the most commonly known building in the city. Those who wish to form a party to strike for a specific type of rift often find companions and advice in these safe halls. Though there is often rivalry between parties, rarely do adventurers spill blood in or around the city, for fear of being targeted by the authorities and losing their Guild Licence. A requirement to be allowed past to sentries placed all around the Infinity Bridge.
Beings of every race wander these streets, even ones some would believe to be 'aggressive' or outwardly violent can be seen peacefully wandering the city. Orcs, Kobolds, Dragonkin can be found occasionally, Necromancers, Archwizards, Shape changers, Barbarians with monstrous pelts on display, even a Lich has been granted access (but under close watch).
Will you and your party claim the treasures to be found in the infinite?
IMPORTANT NPCS
Leaders of the Iron Hands:
Leader of the Mage Emporium chain:
Lead organizer of the Adventurers Guild:
Leader of Infinity bridge Guards:
Spiritual leader of the Endless Ones:
Rules
1: ???
2: Respect your fellow players.
3: If you would like a special race / character class, please ask before you make the cs.
4: Character Sheets must be approved by Myself and my Co-GM(s)
5: Loot isn't a big deal. Expect garbage.
