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Background for Cidri
To understand what Cidri is, one must know something of its builders. The Mnoren were human--and a little bit more. They had the ability to move unaided between the many alternate worlds that co-exist with Earth in other time-streams. One ability--but it was enough. The first Mnoren used his talent only six times, and then stopped forever in fright and confusion. But those six trips made him a wealthy man. His power bred true. His children read his journals, and wondered, and experimented. They became the secret rulers of their home planet. Their children did not bother with secrets...they merely ruled.
The Mnoren multiplied and prospered. Three hundred years after Jen Mnoren's first jump, is descendants had found, mapped, and conquered three hundred seventy-one alternate Earths. Three had space travel; eleven had magic. All of them honored the Mnoren rulers.
The key to the Mnoren dominance, of course, was knowledge. Knowledge is power, and the knowledge of one world is power unimaginable in another. Jen Mnoren's six trips yielded two simple devices and one book, and made him rich. His children imported inventions, techniques, and gold...And the Mnoren power grew. A Mnoren was effectively invulnerable, wherever he traveled. A dozen different protective devices, physical and magical...intelligent bodyguards from strange worlds...and, most formidable of all, a very long lifetime of experience. Anything that could extend his life was of interest to a Mnoren; the medical techniques of 371 worlds made old age merely a measure of experience.
And in their power, the built Cidri. How? We don't know. Where? Good question. It orbits the sun where Earth would be--if there was an Earth in that universe. No one today knows for sure even WHAT Cidri is. Certainly no ordinary planet. Cidri is BIG. No complete map of its surface is known. The standard work, compiled two hundred years ago by the Imperial College of Cartographers at Predimuskity, shows 48 continents (defined as land masses of over 5,000,000 square km.); five of these are in excess of 60,000,000 square km. Almost half the known surface of Cidri is covered with water; most of its seas are dotted with islands. Yet even the great Book of Maps lists nine hundred and eleven locations which cannot be found within the known area--including the mountain city of Paska-Dal, which (by Gate) has carried on commerce with gem merchants everywhere for at least four hundred years.
Yet build it the Mnoren did--a whole enormous world. And, having built it, the peopled it. Farmers, technicians, servants, guards, slaves, stowaways...plants for gardens, jungles and fields...animals for companions, food, hunting, or to balance the thousands of ecologies interweaving across the planet...creatures great and small from every one of the worlds they knew.
For hundreds of years they enjoyed their world. Few traveled elsewhere--what need, when Cidri held all? The other worlds of probability were once again left to their own peoples. A few thousand of the rulers (for their numbers had never been great) lived in glittering mansions scattered through Cidri. The broad continents, with their diverse people and cultures, were their playgrounds. And gradually the Mnoren changed. From rulers they became watchers, gamers, dilettantes. The Mnoren Emperor handed his scepter to one of his human barons, mounted his flying steed--and was never seen again. The word of any Mnoren remained law--but they rarely spoke. It was as though, having wielded absolute power for so long, they had decided to sit back and enjoy life for a while.
And gradually, they were seen less and less. Three hundred years after the Abdication, no Mnoren was governing anything more than a household anywhere on Cidri. Two hundred years later, the Empire was a shrunken, quarrelling muddle, and the Mnoren were gone.
Where did they go? Ahhhh...another good question! There are many theories. Perhaps they simply died out, their eldritch strain weakened by time and the weight of empire. Perhaps the assassin's game that their wilder types enjoyed (what prey was really worthy of a Mnoren but his deadly relatives?) drove them into hiding on other worlds. Perhaps they built a grander playground somewhere else. Perhaps they're stil here, wise and immortal, watching but not taking part. That's what the villiagers believe. They threaten bad children with demons, orcs, and Mnoren.
Maybe they're gone, and maybe they're still watching. It doesn't seem to matter; Cidri is ours now. And what a place! Infinate adventure. Infinate variety. Where once there was one Empire, now there are hundreds. Different races, different cultures, different everything...decadent city folk, proud barbarians, merry farmers, battered mercenaries. Most lands are peaceful, most of the time--but there's always a war somewhere, and a border raid somewhere else, as an ambitious princeling seeks to expand his holdings, or a robber band sets its sights on a rich prize.
A world of constant adventure--adventure to be found nowhere else. The Mnoren imported many things--and some of their gates still lead to other worlds. Most of their strange devices are lost or broken, not to be rebuilt--for few of the people of Cidri have any great love of, or intrest in, technology. But the exceptions form the Mechanician's Guild, always alert for new inventions or old gadgets. Sorcerers go about their daily business like the honest tradesmen they are. Truly a world of fantasy. Indeed, many creatures from Earth's fantasy have their counterparts on Cidri. It seems likely that Terran legends of elves, dwarves, centaurs, and other fantastic creatures are dim memories--of a time when these beings roamed the Earth, or of people who somehow went to Cidri and returned, none can say.
But the gates remain, and certain it is that if one knew where to go, he could step through a shimmering portal today and be in Cidri...
[taken in whole from "In The Labyrinth" copyright 1980 by Metagaming. Copied for personal use only without permission.]
To start deciding what kind of character you want, check these out:
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Races of Cidri
And...
In the Labyrinth Character Types
It has been ten cycles since the ritual which caused the release of the demon and his minions. The force of evil has devastated the Elven kingdom of Anothien. A great swath of destruction cut through the heart of this forested nation. The human kingdom of Agothien has been subverted by The Order. Agothien is still ruled by the royal family, but there is a member of the Arkane Advisory in every town or city with more than a handful of villagers. The Advisory is backed by the unusual Infernal Undead--muscle of dark forces. These creatures, unlike traditional zombies have some unusual abilities and characteristics. From what most have been able to uncover, there are two types of Infernal Undead. The general drones are The Damned. They are infected from the original zombies manufactured from the base ritual that unleashed the demon. The motion of the bodies is powered directly by the soul of the poor victim. The body is dominated by evil but does maintain enough control that the wailing of pain and the torment of being forced to act against its will adds to the shock of fighting with these creatures. The Damned will often beg to be slain while even fighting. The second order of Infernal Zombies are The Arkane. These foul beings have actually sold their souls for magical power and a form of immortality. Some of The Arkane have progressed to a point where when the host body dies, they may transfer their baleful soul to another body. This body is usually either dying or recently dead. The Arkane do not rot as do normal zombies and The Damned. Their mastery over the dark force binding them to the body gives them much greater control over their physical limitations. They are generally stronger, have use of magic, and are much harder to destroy. All Infernals can be distinguished by the pale green glow around their eyes, and any wounds or bodily fluids.
Your adventure will begin in the large city of Bandori in North Agothien. The city runs daily life but there is a vein of malice running through each citizen’s existence. The normal man lives his life with some bit of fear. Taxes are heavy, and The Order is always watching. They are suspicious of everyone and every transaction is scrutinized. Weapons are forbidden without a Writ of Arms issued by The Order. The practice of magic is prohibited unless the wizard has a Seal of Work, also issued by The Order. Guardsmen for Bandori no longer take orders from the Mayor, per se. Everyone knows how the real lines of governmental power run. Violation of any law is punishable ultimately, by death. In the gallows, there is always fresh meat hanging. The Order does, however pay well for service. Many people deal directly with The Order just out of necessity for survival. You can never know who to trust.
A growing group of resistance is said to have a small band located in Bandori. You are just about sick of getting pushed around, seeing such injustice, and scrabbling so hard, just to survive. That’s why you’re here.
Agothien
Combats
I have found through experience that in order to keep combats flowing evenly, I need to make all the dice rolls. Also what I need at the startup of a new character is their standard operating procedure for combats. What I do is run the actual combat and then post it to the group.
How it all Works
1. You create a character using the information on this site.
2. You give me a background and a little information on how your character looks and acts.
3. You read all the e-mail from the other players and me (the GM) each day.
4. You e-mail the group at inthelabyrinth@yahoogroups.com a minimum of once per day. If you only want to post once per day, please save your one e-mail for something that is important (like do we go this way or that way) rather than just making a small comment to an NPC or other player's character.
5. The more you participate, the more experience your character will earn. When your character becomes more experienced, he or she gains new abilities, gets better at combat, or becomes more powerful.
My E-mail: the1weasel@gmail.com
This The Fantasy Trip Webring site owned by Kelly Nall.
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