PIRATES! DINOSAURS! VAMPIRES! A TREASURE HUNT!

LOCATION

The continent of Asathia consists of a massive fragmented patchwork of islands. Some are less than a mile across, small desert islands; and others are sprawling jungles, hundreds of miles wide.
For hundreds of years, Asathia has been at relative peace. The races lived in relative harmony: catfolk, drow, elves, goblins, humans, lizardfolk, merfolk, and orcs.

The peace, however, was unsettled nine years past.
The Legion of Dusk sailed forth from the west, a society of vampires composed of nobility and clergy, aiming to expand and claim territory across the Circle Sea. Caught between the Wall of Storms and the advancement of the Legion, the inhabitants of Asathia have variously fought, won, and lost in unequal measure. Since making landfall, the Legion have erected forts along the coasts of Asathia.

Various large factions exist across the islands.
- The largest island, the central Buranis, is historically ruled by The Sun Empire: namely one Emperor Tohil. The Empire is largely comprised of humans, with catfolk, lizardfolk, orcs, and few elves. They have tamed the dinosaurs native to Asathia sufficiently to work alongside them, up to and including as mounts.
- The Seastone Cities rest on, below, and between the Harmonic Isles, and are ruled by the Seastone Harmony, an elected government of merfolk. The cities are a network of prosperous and beautiful cities made of cultivated coral and worked stone, built thousands of years past by the merfolk of Asathia. They trade resources with groups that travel into the Isles, but are easily able to hide beneath the waves when it's called for. The Harmonic Isles are also populated by lizardfolk and elves, with few humans and orcs.
- The northern Longarrow Islands boast the eldest civilisation across Asathia: The Undying Kingdom. Populated primarily by a society of two once-disparate civilisations of elves (and drow) and orcs, the twinned cultures evolved together through wars and alliances into what stands today. The pantheon of gods with two faces, one each representing their role in the adjoined elvish or orcish religions, play a large role in shaping the society. The current queen is the orc Iomene. Her seat will last another four years before the next in line, the elf prince Titus takes her place.
- The Brazen Coalition exists only aboard ships, having fled from the west ahead of the Legion, bringing with it goblins and the first humans seen in Asathia outside of those originating on Buranis. A loose collection of ships that might generously be called a fleet led by Admiral Juliette Wither, the Coalition was briefly viewed as Asathia's biggest problem. They spend their time interchangeably harrying the Legion, as well as various ports across the continent. Their naval prowess is second-to-none, outpacing all but the Legion's cruisers. Targeted raids on the Legion's cityships has served them well, however. The Coalition accepts applicants from all races.


OVERVIEW

In spite of the zealotry of the Legion of Dusk, not all vampires view the current ruling establishment as the final authority. The Order of the Five Sacraments, a church sect that believes in establishing a trade relationship with the inhabitants of Asathia, hopes to undermine the existing plans of the would-be conquerors.

The Legion of Dusk is ruled by strict and stringent ritual, requiring its members to feed exclusively on the blood of their foes. As such, the Legion fortification known as Conqueror's Foothold (on the west coast of Buranis) houses prisoners - enemies of the state and others deemed ne'er-do-wells - who are slaughtered once every full moon.

At the start of the adventure, the characters find themselves imprisoned at Conqueror's Foothold and scheduled to be executed to feed their captors. Alante, a vampire cleric who administers last rites at the fort, plans to aid them in a prison escape. She belongs to the Order of the Five Sacraments, and has been charged with opposing the aims of the Legion of Dusk.
Conqueror's Foothold is overseen by Celia, also known as the Butcher of Rousson. According to Alante, Celia has uncovered a map of the local region that shows the location of a powerful artifact known as the Hierophant's Chalice, hidden south at the Temple of Aclazoth. The Chalice is rumoured to be able to create an endless supply of blood, making it potentially valuable to the Legion of Dusk.
A prophet of the Legion, named Arguel, is said to have found the Temple, and Celia wishes to secure it. In exchange for various promises and favours (not least escaping execution), the adventurers have agreed to help Alante find the Chalice first. To this end, Alante has provided you a map with two locations on it. The first is on the coast, and the second to the north and hidden in the jungle.


CHARACTER CREATION
i. Don't be an asshole. You're not professional adventurers, so don't build something stupidly strong.
ii. 20-point-buy.
iii. Level 6.
iv. Choose from any of the races mentioned within this pastebin.
v. You will have no starting equipment. You're in prison. (Congratulations, you won't need to take Weapon Focus!)


FINAL PROMPT
Your time in the prison cells of Conqueror’s Foothold is drawing to an end—as are your lives. Like all those deemed enemies of the Legion of Dusk, you are set to be executed to feed the vampires who command the fortress.
On the night before the full moon, you have been moved to the executioner’s chamber, next in line to be sacrificed.
But what your captors don’t know is that each of you has made a bargain with the cleric, Alante. In exchange for your lives and retrieval of the legendary relic known as the Hierophant’s Chalice, you have been promised various favors from the Order of the Five Sacraments — a vampiric sect that opposes the Legion of Dusk’s thirst for conquest. During your brief time in Conqueror’s Foothold, Alante has been able to communicate a plan of escape by sending message spells at various interludes.
Tonight marks the night that plan comes to fruition.