In the Shadow of the Artifice Masters

So, I've recently had a crazy idea.  My brother and I have been huge fans of Robotech for decades.  We have played various RPGs throughout the timeline of the story, as well as our own alternate timelines.  We have used both Palladium's Robotech RPG and FASA's Battletech.  One part of the story we've kept trying to play through, but never really did so successfully, is the "Robotech II: The Sentinels."  There are several versions of the story, some of which overlap:  OVA, comics, novels, and RPG.  Some depth was even added to that story in the sequel "Robotech: Shadow Chronicles."

A variety of new races are added to the setting, and the story is progressively episodic.  So, I figured why not re-interpret The Sentinels as high fantasy adventure.  In the Shadow of the Artifice Masters is a 5th edition D&D adventure-campaign (similar to the official adventures released for the edition) covering the common elements of the Sentinels story, allowing for player-character acts to effect the course of events.

Adventure Setting

In the Shadow of the Artifice Masters takes place on the continent of Fantoma, sometimes also called the "Old World."  This continent is the homeland of elves, orcs, goblinoids, and a handful of other races.  It is here that the conflicts of the Artifice Wars began between the elves of Tirol and the proto-goblinoids of Optera.

Another continent exists far to the west, about 2 months sail away.  This "New World" is Micronia--home to humans, halflings, dwarves, and gnomes.  It was "discovered" by the rebellious disciples of the high elf artificer Zor.  These disciples were pursued by an orc armada, which would only prove to pull the Micronians into the Artifice Wars.

Planes of Monvesia: Astral Companions

Just as the Ethereal Plane exists as two transitive planes in Monvesia, so does the Astral Plane.  Uniting them as a "companion" pair is Vaynon, the Dominion of the Far Wandering Star--a plane that exists simultaneously in these planes and the Material Plane. In this setting, these Astral Companions are the planes of thought (conscious and subconscious) and the planes of fantasy (dream and nightmare).

Generally speaking, spells and creatures that make use of the Astral Plane do so through the analog of the Dreaming.  Should a spell effect be destructive (ie. maddening), however, or a creature malignant, then the analog of Limbo is used.  For each unique instance, if it is necessary to know which Astral Plane is used, this is at the DM's discretion.

It is here that the Taint takes physical form as a writhing, inky purple mass that shimmers, pulses, and continually grows.  As the home of the HMDJVNW, Limbo is the ultimate plane of the Taint's origin; though it has long since spread into the Dreaming and even Vaynon.  Many psionicists, students of psychic power and mystic arts, believe that Vaynon has been completely consumed.