Your Character's Backstory

[Howlando]

Welcome to Chapter 5 of EFU, "City of Rings."

EFU5 represents a break from previous chapter story-telling; any events that were described in Chapters 1-4 may be safely considered as irrelevant to your character's backstory or knowledge.

This chapter begins with your character awakening in some distant, enormous City. The precise date is unknown, but your character fell into a slumber sometime around the year Dale Reckoning 1370 to 1375 - prior to most of the events described in chapters 1-4 of EFU. Your character's memory is somewhat patchy and confused but a desire to return to your home is a perfectly appropriate character goal. It is unknown how you have arrived in the City of Rings.

The City of Rings is located on the prime material plane, but seems to be far distant from any recognized realm or country. It is an enormous, violent, disorganized and divided labyrnthine metropolis of many millions. Although there are legends of a King, the City lacks any kind of central governance and most of the City is a lawless place - punctuated by occasional neighborhoods (known as "Wards") where a local peace is kept.

The City is divided into a series of concentric walled Rings, and passage from one to another is often extremely difficult as special keys may be needed or puzzles must be solved. Successfully passing through the many rings of the City (essentially functioning as a giant super-dungeon) is a major achievement for this chapter.  Some Rings of the City are fully urban; others are more similar to decayed ruins, overgrown parks, festering swamps, or even contain small mountains.

The City also seems to be a focal place for Planar Travel and is filled with ever-shifting portals (called "Seams") leading to planar realms of endless variety. Planar Prospecting & Travel is a common feature of the City, however a slow "Planar  Sickness" prevents residents of the City from permanently residing in the planes.

Our module is focused on those areas and neighborhoods adjacent to the Gates of Ring 99. Here you will find three separate neighborhood-hubs: Ticker Square (a cosmopolitan neighborhood ruled by Merchants), the Peerage (a rigidly pro-human neighborhood dominated by self-proclaimed local Nobles and their Houses), and Pauper Ponds (a lawless camp for the desperate, the eccentric, monsters and exiles). The residents of each neighborhood-hub tend to view the others with suspicion and downright hostility.

Development of this chapter represents a huge leap forward for EFU in every conceivable way.

We have built this place for you and hope you enjoy it.