2001 to 2009: The City and The Circus
After two players left, and the arrival of a new one, after making the transition to D&D 3.0, and later 3.5, I had started two new threads “City of Doors” and “Circus of the Mighty.”
An image of Sigil, the City of Doors. I have no idea how this was taken considering how tall that mountain is.
City of Doors wasn’t about Udra, instead it was based in D&D Planescape campaign. Planescape was one of the few prefab campaign backgrounds TSR made that I really liked. Mostly because it departed so strongly from so many fantasy tropes. Given the assumptions of how original AD&D 2nd Edition cosmology worked, Udra (My campaign) exists within a universe that’s part of the larger multiverse that Planescape was all about so, in that sense the two are ultimately related. I’ve have had several Udran characters (Beginning with Duke Theramir and several of his associates way back in the early 80s.) make trips to the Ethereal, Elemental, Astral, Abyssal and Baatorian planes of existence.
But in the City of Doors plot thread, I had a party of six heroes from various universes (With one, a human ranger called Sleen, from Udra.) in the prime material plane. This plot thread lasted for about two years of play, with the overall plot left unresolved. The players were mostly meticulous notetakers so, I have a vague idea where things left off.
The RPA Badge of Arthur Trumblebone, Agent #0101, still MIA. Obviously the Roman letters are there for our benefit, I haven’t yet invented an Udran Alphabet.
One of these days, I shall start another thread here.
Circus of the Mighty, begun in late 2003, was a new campaign thread that I began with three participants, playing characters that were former members of an Udran traveling circus. Almost immediately two players dropped out but the remaining player went on join new players in a party of new characters who were officers in the newly formed Royal Postal Agency.
Significant Udran events in this period
- The Circus is founded by a disillusioned wizard and two traveling circus performers, this would evolve into a squad of agents working for the newly formed Royal Postal Authority.
- The Circus, as agents of the RPA, arrest, kill or capture many members of the “Dogs” Floyd Gang via an Orcish upending of a stagecoach and a magical showdown in the city of Vos Obyorn
- The Circus destroys an orc pirate fleet and defeat the plans of Chebo the Drowned (Later discovered to not be dead and to be a lich!)
- The Circus stops a 10,000 strong clay golem invasion force based in a ruined temple devoted to Vivistat, the Bringer of Doom Unexplained.
- For these acts, all members of the Circus (With the exception of Sturj) are knighted and granted the Isle of Jars as payment for their deeds
- The first expedition to Nyambe Tande in pursuit of the Marketh and his followers. This proved inconclusive.
- The second expedition to Nyambe Tande in search of the Great Udamalore and Kosan ruins. This also proved inconclusive.
- The reestablishment of trade, after an 800 year hiatus, with Nyambe Tande, known to Udrans as Darth Lom.
Significant Sigilian events in this period
- Sleen, by no means a xenophobe, departs the company of Sklanthar Regulus and the Big Pink One to wander in the City of Doors. He is soon joined by a squad of lost, multiversal expatriates and wanderers.
- They are soon find themselves a task to retrieve five stolen paintings, all believed to be multiversal doors, just like the doors Sigil is so famous for. They managed to recover two, maybe three?
Notable characters
- Karin, Planescaper, an especially impatient dwarf warrior, nicknamed “Death in a Can”
- Elstore, Planescaper, priest of Korporedon, ethnographer, biographer and anthropologist.
- Leafturner Ellywick Neidlebuck, Planescaper, a gnome sorceress, unreservedly enthusiastic, rarely but notably binge drinks.
- Sedris, Planescaper, a knight and nobleman, formerly of Harn, searching the outer planes for a fleeing criminal.
- Sleen, Planescaper, a human ranger formerly of Udra, now a horizon walker wandering the outer planes
- Aowyn, Planescaper, an elf very strongly of the Tolkien stamp.
- Telwyn, human mage, formerly of the Big Pink One, rescued prisoner from a thrall of the shapeshifters.
- Amos Sacerius, a former circus strongman and immigrant from the merchant states of Kaya Vua Samaki
- Rand, a former circus tight rope walker and second story man.
- Sir Thalin, a side-show wizard, frustrated former warrior and the Man in the Bronze Mask, plan man of the Circus. Agent #102.
- Kels, savate specialist, devout of Molna. One to challenge the party to greater things. Agent #103.
- Thantor, an eletum, a planar wanderer, not from Ednom itself. Eventually assigned to the Dead Letter Office. Agent #104.
- Sir Arthur Trumblebone, human savate mage and letter carrier, gifted with superhuman dexterity. Now missing in action, considered the very model of a modern postal agent. Agent #101.
- Sturj Barnaclesucker, half-orc pirate (now reformed), herpetologist, explorer, warrior. On the governing council of the Isle of Jars. Recently knighted. Agent #138.
- Dame Hilda of Arren, Baroness of Jars, diplomat, negotiator, leader and mastermind. Now on Queen Ellen’s small council as Postmistress General Agent #1, promoted from #122.
- Sir Mandark, half-elf rogue, one to wear iggaak, expert at designing, assembling and disarming traps. Agent #105.
- Sir Dwalor, dwarf priest of Molna, stubborn, crude, taken by the shadow leopards deep in the heart of Nyambe Tanda. Agent #106. Presumed dead.
- Sir Chingara Slashgood, elf ranger and all round badass archer. Agent #107.
- Kinsaul, a demobilized cavalryman and member of the Royal Postal Agency Agent #108. Missing, presumed dead.
(Sigil image credit The Cage, a Planescape Wiki)