I should note, I have no idea whether or not this game will actually be chosen for use by Wayfinder.  In fact, I still have to finish writing it and submitting it.  I think it’s a pretty cool concept, and it experiments further with some of the player vs. player mechanics that I explored in the 2014 Staff game (along with my excellent co-writers, you rock).  In the interest of not spoiling you for anything, I’ll refrain from telling you too much about the flow of game.  Instead, this post will give you a brief overview of the setting and what the game is all about.

A Brief History

There are many gods and godlings, but there is only one Most-High.  The Most-High reigns over all from the Godseat, the Throne of Supremacy, the Seat of Knowledge, the Bringer of Good Tidings and Ill News.  Whichever being sits upon the Godseat is acknowledged as the ruler of all, but no one being can sit upon the Throne forever.  The prayers of faithful worshippers, and their propitiations, may sometimes elevate a new being to the Godseat, replacing the previous Most-High and beginning a new reign.  There are some times, perhaps once or twice a decade, when the cycles of the moon and the stars and the seasons coincide just so, when the prayers and rituals of worshippers take on special power in the area around the Godseat; these times are known as the Nights of Ascension.

Long ago, before the Years of Ruin, chaos and war surrounded every Night of Ascension, as each god urged their followers into holy war to seize the realm of Hakuldoma, the land in which the Godseat lies.  Civilizations rose and collapsed in the bloodshed, and the lands of Hakuldoma were laid waste time and again.  Ruins still lie scattered throughout Hakuldoma, fragments of the times when empires tried to hold exclusive access to the Godseat, and prevent all other worshippers from approaching it.

Then came the Years of Ruin, when the gods themselves strode forth upon the land in an effort to seize and hold what their followers could not take on their own.  The chaos from before paled in comparison to the suffering which flowed in their wakes.  It was only after many lands were blasted in their entirety, after the deaths of their followers left gods weakened and dying, that all the remaining deities swore to uphold what has become known as the Treaty of Hakuldoma.

By the treaty, no god will brook direct interference with the Nights of Ascension, no god will hold the lands surrounding the Godseat for themselves or their followers, and no god, not even the Most-High, will prevent worshippers from accessing the holy places of the Godseat on the Nights of Ascension.  In this way, the gods have agreed to accept the voices of their worshippers in choosing the Most-High.  Every new god or godling must agree to these terms or be destroyed.  Some few have attempted to break the terms of the agreement, but each and every one has been torn down by the collected might of the others, burned to charred husks while their worshippers were consumed before their eyes.  None now dare to tempt such a fate.

For nearly the past three centuries, Rey-Amno-Hokatl has held the Godseat, presiding over the lands.  Its followers have walked a fine line, always allowing access to the Godseat, yet always being certain to overpower or undermine the rituals of other worshippers.  The other gods are not yet ready to call Rey-Amno-Hokatl a treaty breaker, for the Most-High is powerful and has hewed most assiduously to the law, but they have exhorted their followers to new heights of faith and worship, encouraging them to take a more active hand in this turning of the cycle.  Where that leads, we shall see.

Where Game Starts

Game begins with the faithful gathering in the town which has grown up around the Godseat.  The town caters to the pilgrims who flock to see the Throne of the Most-High, and every Night of Ascension brings with it a flow of wealth that would make any merchant salivate and praise Tikrontet, the godling of commerce, coin, and shrewd dealings.  Whoever you are, you have a reason for being there.  Many of you will wish to see a new god take the Throne, though few of you will agree with each other on which god should have that right.  Some of you will know in your hearts that Rey-Amno-Hokatl must remain Most-High, for they have graced the lands with nearly three centuries of peace and prosperity.  And a few of you might want something… else.  Maybe you’ll want to tell others about that, and maybe you won’t.

And that’s all for now!  What do you think thus far?