Alignment and the Cosmology of Kalagris

     There are three alignments in the Kalagris campaign: Law, Chaos, and Unaligned. The great ideological conflict of the world isn't concerned with Good and Evil. Chaos is literally destroying the world piece by piece. While good vs evil is important at a personal level, at the cosmic level, it comes in second. Far more pressing is where your character stands in the Law vs Chaos struggle.

     No one in the world, not ancient elven scribes or the most erudit human philosophers, understands the true nature of what is happening to the world. As horrific as it may be, it is a natural part of the process of birth-death-rebirth. Ultimately, it is natural. To the people living through it, it is something else entirely.

     It is the ultimate confrontation between Law and Chaos. That is where the line is drawn: are you aligned with the powers of Law, and thus the continued, ordered existence of Kalagris, or are you aligned with Chaos, bent on the unravelling of the world and all within it? This polarity means that people may find themselves allied with strange bedfellows. There are plenty of people and organizations that resist Chaos. Some do so to protect their own evil existence, some do so out of a sense of duty. Yet, when it comes time to take arms, they stand shoulder to shoulder. They can sort out their “personal” problems another time.

The Alignments

Law

     Essentially, those aligned with Law stand against the forces of Chaos. It is important to understand that they stand against Chaos. It is not merely a philosophical choice, it is a plan of action. In principle virtually everyone on Kalagris is Lawful in word, but the Law-aligned are Lawful in deed, taking the fight to the enemy, actively resisting the Chaos Gods and their agents.

Neutrality

     Like Law, this isn't a simple withdrawal from the struggle, it is a sincere belief that one has no place in that struggle. Merely declining to become involved isn't enough. Truly neutral characters are extremely rare.

     Druids

     Druids are among the only true neutral people on Kalagris. They have a sense that the Chaos Encroachment (as they call it) is a part of some cosmic cycle. They believe (mistakenly) that the Maelstrom is a machination of the Chaos Gods. According to their conclusions, it is simply time for the Chaos Gods to be ascendant. Being a part of the natural cosmic cycle, it is beyond the reach of anyone on Kalagris to interfere. This includes agents of Chaos seeking to call down the Maelstrom (it should advance at its own pace), or seeking some personal gain in the name of the Encroachment.

Chaos

     Those aligned with Chaos are believed to be mad by virtually everyone else on Kalagris. Some welcome and embrace the Maelstrom to varying degrees, believing in the powers of Chaos in a very literally sense. There are some that believe in it in a more philosophical sense, viewing the tenets of Chaos figuratively, believing it represents their freedom. Finally, there are those who follow the Chaos Gods, slaves to their whims. In spite of the varied nature of those aligned with Chaos, they are universally met with distrust, at best. In some provinces a known Chaotic alignment is grounds for a summary execution.

Magic Redux

Magic is defined as manipulating chaos energy, summoned from the Maelstrom, to achieve a desired end. It is through the use of arcane formulae that Magic-Users practice this dangerous art. The chaotic energy of the Maelstrom is the raw stuff of creation. As such, it is highly mutable, and may be shaped into anything the shaper desires. Providing, of course, that he is strong enough to survive the process.

Casting Points

Magic-Users possess a pool of points, known as Casting Points. This points are an abstract representation of both the caster's skill, and his durability, where chaos energy is concerned. Magic-Users act as a conduit for the energy. They channel it into themselves, hold it there, and cast a spell that gives the energy form and function.

Magic-User characters have Casting Points equal to:

(Level x INT bonus) + CON bonus

Using Casting Points

Casting Points may be used for the following:

• To modify the Casting Roll
• To modify rolls for Critical Failure
• To enhance a spell
• To counteract another Magic-User's casting
• To modify a target's Saving Throw

They may be used for any, or all, of these actions in the same round, so long as the character has them remaining. The only stipulation is that their use, and amount used, must be declared before any rolls are made.

The Casting Roll

No spell is automatic, they all require the player to make a successful casting roll. The roll required to successfully cast any spell is 15 or better on a d20. This is true regardless of spell or caster level. The roll is modified by the following:

• + Caster Level
• – Spell Level
• + Casting Points (number of Casting Points allocated by the caster)
• – Counter-magic (number of Casting Points allocated by opposing caster)
• – Spell Level per Enhancement

Results

There are four possible outcomes of the Casting Roll:

Critical Success

Critical Success occurs when the Casting Roll is a natural 20, and the casting is successful. In this case, the spell is cast and the caster may either “take back” ½ of the Casting Points expended, or may add a “free” enhancement.

Success

The spell is cast as intended.

Simple Failure

The Casting Roll is less than the number required. All Casting Points are lost, and the spell fails to take effect.

Critical Failure

The Casting Roll is less than half the number needed for success, round down. If this happens, the spell is forgotten, and must be studied before it may be used again. All Casting Points are also lost.

Disastrous Failure

The Casting Roll is a natural 1 (the only exception to this is if the required number is less than 2, in that case this is a Critical Failure). Disastrous failures roll on the following table. The roll is modified by the number of Casting Points spent on the failing scale, as a positive, and any Spell Points spent to mitigate this roll, as a negative.

Roll	Result
1-5	Dazed, lose next d4 rounds
6-10	Stunned, lose next d4 turns
11-13	Lose 2x Casting Points and lose spell*
14-17	Lose 3x Casting Points and lose spell*
18-19	Lose d6 levels of spells, determine randomly
20-21	Lose 2d6 levels of spells, determine randomly
22	Lose 1 point of INT for 1d4 turns
23	Lose 1 point of INT for 1d4 days
24	Lose 1 point of INT for 2d4 days
25	Lose 2 points of INT for 1d4 turns
26	Lose 2 points of INT for 1d4 days
27	Lose 2 points of INT for 2d4 days
28	Lose all spells
29+	Lose 2 points of INT permanently

* If the caster loses more points than he has, the remainder is taken from hit points. If this remainder should be equal to or greater than the Magic-User's INT, then in addition to the hit point lose, he loses one point of INT. Recovery from these loses follow the rules in the Damage Threshold section.

Note: This table may seem very vanilla, and it is to a point. Just remember the nature of magic and casting, and describe the result from there. If a spell fails this disastrously, it is because the caster lost control of the chaos energy he was channeling. When spells are lost, the Magic-Users memories are unravelling, being ripped from his mind. When INT is being lost, his very intellect is unravelling. Not a pleasant experience.

Saving Throws

Many spells allow Saving Throws to avoid or reduce their effect. The caster may expend additional Casting Points to modify the target's Saving Throw. Note, howeve, that this must be declared when casting the spell. If the spell is a Disastrous Failure, then the points used to modify the Saving Throw are included in the modifier for the Disastrous Failure roll.

Enhancing Spells

Magic-Users may choose to enhance any spell cast, by expending additional Casting Points. Spells may be enhanced by doubling any one aspect of the spell; Range, Duration, Area, Damage, beings affected, etc. Any discreet aspect of the spell may be enhanced. This enhancement results in a 100% increase to the aspect chosen. The cost is 50% of the spell level, round up. The caster may enhance as many aspects as desired, as long as he is willing, and able, to commit the Casting Points. An aspect may only be enhanced once, however.

Scrolls

Scrolls function as normal. All the risk is taken in the creation of the scroll.

Maelstone

Sometimes there is a sort of residue left when some solid substance unravels. Normally it takes the form of smooth, irregularly shaped blobs. They are approximately fist sized, normally, though smaller sizer are not uncommon. They are milky gray in color, but when looked at closely, coalescing colors can be seen deep within.

Maelstone can be used in spell casting. It will convey a bonus on the Disastrous Failure table. This bonus varies, but there is no way to determine quality by sight. The Magic-User must cast Detect Magic to ascertain the value of any given Maelstone.

Use in Play

Before casting, a player may declare that a Maelstone is being used. If the spell results in a Disastrous Failure, the value of the Maelstone is applied to the roll. The Maelstone is destroyed by this, no matter the outcome of the roll.

Under a Red Sun Dying

The Gods, especially those of Law, return to the Maelstrom unlike anything else. They unravel slowly, agonizingly, many times taking eons to finally die.
Vayn was the Sun Goddess. She was the resplendent, living sun of Kalagris. With her radiant golden hair trailing out behind her, she crossed the daytime skies, bringing warmth and llfe. By night she stalked the Underworld, seeking out her enemies with flaming orange eyes.
Then, she began to unravel. Over many bitter generations of men was Vayn torn limb from limb by the pull of chaos. Her screams of pain rained down from on high and there was nowhere in the world to escape that awful sound. Generations of men were born, lived their entire lives, and died with the sounds of her agony ripping at their ears, and their sanity.
Eventually there wasn't enough of her left and her strength was almost spent. She was unable to maintain her course through the sky. She stopped at her highest point, and there awaited the end. Chaos continued to rip and tear at her, until finally it stopped.
There is no explaination for it stopping. It just did. All that is left of the once mighty Vayn is her heart. It hangs high in the sky over Kalagris, glowing a dull and ruddy blood-red. It yet beats, slowly, its dim light pulsing in time to the pitiful rhythm. Both the sound of the beating and the pulsing bloody glow are said to induce madness in the weak mind, and hopeless despair in the faint heart.
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A Note Concerning My World

I'm not a professional author or game designer. I'm sure if you've made it this far with me, you know these things by now. However, I am very excited by the ideas I am having for this world. I am also really stoked by the old school mojo that WhiteBox has rekindled in my dark little soul.
Anyway, my point is that most of what you see here will be stream-of-conscious style writing. One world entry won't flow to the next. A new entry may build on one that was 6 weeks ago. Entries may be long or short; an entire region,complete with NPC names, or just enough to express some relevant twist to something that went before.
Perhaps someday, if there is enough interest, I may compile and edit all of it into something remotely usable. Until then, think of it as I do: a notebook where I can scribble ideas, bits of maps, new magic items, spells, and monsters.
Oh, yes, and speaking of interest: I want to welcome my very first follower, ever, ze bulette. I've enjoyed your site greatly and only hope I can return at least some small portion of the favor.
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Introduction to My World

My world is dying. Slowly. Painfully. One piece at a time. Chunks tearing away, returning to the Maelstrom from which it came. I don't know how the world was born, I wasn't there, but I do know it floats in a sea of chaotic energy. I know that however it happened, my world was shaped and formed from that energy. And I believe to that energy, it is returning.
Over 7,000 years ago, 7149 to be precise, the first hole appeared. The great dwarven citadel of Marzakal was swallowed in a pit of fire. It is still there, deep in the Homeforge Mountains. A hole, jagged around the edges, cliffs forever calving off the mountains, as if feeding the molten maw of some hellish beast. It is 27 miles across now. Some sages and scholars predict it will consume the entire Homeforge range within another 100 years.
These days there are thousands of holes. Too many to count. Not all of them are fiery and molten, like the Doom-Hole, as the one at Marzakal is now known. Some are inky nothingness. Some ooze some sort of tainted muck that corrupts all it touches. It was one of those that got Carrasett, the great college of wizardry. That hole opened some miles from the towers of the college, but the creeping ooze consumed everything in what is now called the Chaos Bog. The towers and structures of the university still stand, but their foundations and lower levels are coated in the ooze, giving rise to all manner of hideous swamp-things.
The Edge-Holes, also called the Steam Pits by some, form the boundaries of our world. There were those who once believed our world was round. Now, all that's left is a flat piece of earth, hemmed in by blazing chasms. Our oceans and seas pour into them, wreathing the precipice in shrouding mists.
Not all the holes are old, huge, or famous. In fact, most are no larger than a modest castle. New ones are forming almost monthly. Yet, for all their differences, they share one thing in common: they mark a point where our world has returned to the raw Stuff from whence it came. They are an encroachment of chaotic energies into our world. They corrupt all they touch, and their influence spreads, once the hole is made. They are killing my world.
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