Villains of Sundara? What Makes Archbliss Such an Important Installment

For folks who are just now tuning in, I've been hard at work on my own fantasy RPG setting since the end of 2020. Sundara: Dawn of a New Age is written for both Pathfinder Classic and DND 5th Edition, and the goal with this setting it is to leave behind many of the associated tropes and artifacts that have clung to previous games, and that players have often complained takes them out of the experience. So there's no alignment, there's no monocultures, and large portions of the setting are focused on harnessing the natural resources that exist in order to progress and move forward.

In a game that's about forward-thinking, about progress, and about solving problems rather than cut-and-dried, black-and-white, good-and-evil, a lot of players kept asking me who the "bad guys" are? After all, if you're not fighting goblins because goblins aren't inherently evil, and you're not tripping over slavers and devil worshipers in every other town, then what is a heavily-armed group of morally-flexible protagonists supposed to do with themselves? Sure, there are disasters that need to be averted, mindless undead that need to be dealt with, or dangerous animals that need to be corralled, but what about those villains adventurers oppose in fantasy games?

Well, I never said there wouldn't be villains... just that they wouldn't be what we're used to.

And that is where these guys come in.

In case you were wondering, the flying city of infinite possibility that hides corruption, selfishness, abuse of power, and a rigid hierarchy where which rung you're on determines how much of a person you are is a breeding ground for the types of attitudes and actions that make you a villain in this setting.

Also, if you want to stay on top of all my releases, don't forget to subscribe to my weekly mailing list to get them all sent right to your email. And if you want to help me keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron as well! Even a small donation can make a big difference.

What is Archbliss?

Archbliss (which is available both in a Pathfinder version and in a DND 5E version if you haven't gotten your copy yet) is one of the great wonders of Sundara. A floating city, Archbliss was created by a massive cooperative effort of disparate sorcerers more than a thousand years ago. Outcast from fear, mistreated by the populace, and finding solace in one another, the sorcerers combined their power to create a place where the impossible could happen. And then when they were threatened by their neighbors, who saw what the sorcerers were capable of and could only imagine being put under their collective boot heels, they raised their city into the sky to escape that kind of judgment and prejudice more completely.

This began the golden age of Archbliss, which is still spoken of in myth. Great sorcerers would descend from the city to save towns and cities from war, plagues, and droughts, only asking to take with them those who displayed a knack for magic. Those who were not born in the heights, and who had no sorcerous powers, were rarely allowed into Archbliss. And so it remained a legend, able to be seen from below, but far beyond the knowledge of most people.

Every myth hides a truth.

Though Archbliss ceased wandering to float above a plateau centuries ago, and while it is now far more possible for non-sorcerers to enter the city, the city's facade covers much of what it's become. The glimmering spires, the everyday miracles that line its streets, and the mastery of magics that puts so many other places to shame, makes it seem like it's truly part of another world.

But those who rule Archbliss are mortal, and it is their mortal flaws that make many of them villains.

Because there was no, single sorcerer responsible for the creation of the flying city. It took the combined efforts of all of them, from the great to the small, to achieve this impossible feat. The longer they were cut off from the world, however, the more clannish the sorcerers became. In time they formed into Great Houses, and attempted to keep their ranks pure. While there was new blood trickling into the city with fresh sorcerers seeking teachers, they found the hierarchy was already in place. So rather than attempting to dismantle it, they simply started climbing over one another as fast as they could.

Over centuries this led to the flaws that are rotting Archbliss from within. Many of the sorcerers are entitled, assuming their comforts are conjured from the ether with no cost. Others are selfish, refusing to expend any of their own efforts to help others, even if it would take nothing more than a small spell to set someone or something to rights. Those in power hoard their resources as surely as their position, using it to exert force over those beneath them. And while there are those who might be able to challenge the arcane might of the sorcerers who lead the city, the agents of the Black Tower ensure they disappear before they could ever raise a rallying cry against those who have an iron grip on the reins of power... even if that grip is going to cause Archbliss to tumble from the clouds rather than remain a proud beacon of what cooperative efforts can achieve.

This is Why There Aren't Other Aristocracies (So Far, At Least)

One of the common threads running through the other installments of my Cities of Sundara series is that they're generally organized around commerce, the common good, invention, or a confederacy of allied interests. Ironfire, for example, is a city that's driven by industry, but it also knows that in order to achieve long-term prosperity it has to train the next generation, provide room for experimentation, and make sure there's security for its citizens. Moüd is a desert-bound metropolis whose existence is only made possible by the copious use of the undead, and it is ruled over by a guild that manages the city with the same goals and ideals it manages its other affairs. Silkgift is a city with a robust safety net for all its citizens, and whose main industry is ideas, creativity, and invention. Even Hoardreach is predicated on mutual aid and shared territory, with the central pillar of its governance being the stewardship of the five dragons that founded the city in the first place.

Archbliss is a magistocracy that, over time, has twisted itself to put the wants of those at the top of the hierarchy over the needs not just of those at the bottom, but of those anywhere in the world.

It's all crumbling down... bit by bit.

The issue is not, strictly speaking, that those with magic run the city. It's that the ideals that founded the city have been lost, and the Great Houses now play games of appearances and influence rather than fixing problems. Those in charge are more concerned with how much of the city's power grid can be used to maintain their own comfort, how much influence their words have, and how important they appear to others in the city. Worse, when they do attempt to solve issues (such as the shrinking amount of power in the veins of sorcerer's quartz that keeps the city afloat) it's usually through the most inhumane solutions that will preserve their own power and position (such as imprisoning sorcerers, wizards, and witches in cells that will drain them of their powers, instead of actually rationing energy or giving up any of their own power to contribute to the good of the whole).

Archbliss is not some universally evil place, like we see in a lot of fantasy settings. It is a place that has good people in it, and a place that is full of genuinely amazing things. But it's also a place where the established power structure is slowly choking it to death, and those around it have been socialized to see it as normal. Conditioned to believe that change cannot be made through tearing down the old order (something that is very possible given how many sorcerers there are in the city), but only by submitting to the process and trying to climb the ladder themselves. A ladder that those in the power structure have control of, allowing them to stymie any change that they deem unwanted, or a threat to them. Even if refusing to change means they may be dooming themselves and those around them to a dire fate when the city eventually starts to lean, to list, and then to fall.

Despite the potential of Archbliss, and how steeped in sorcery it is, it represents a very real, very familiar, and very banal evil (with a lowercase "e"). And it's why even as places across Sundara are rising in power through cooperative efforts, sharing resources, and helping one another that Archbliss is fading as the few powerful individuals at the top refuse to do anything that inconveniences them and their position even for a moment.

There are no devils in Sundara. No monstrous species you can just slay without worry or thought. But there are still villains that must be opposed, and systems that need to be dismantled. Archbliss is one of the clearest representations of those I've provided in the setting thus far.

Sundara So Far

Speaking of my setting, the first 5 of the Cities of Sundara series have dropped. I'm switching gears after this to Gods of Sundara next month, and then after that delving into the species of the world and what makes them unusual and unique. If you're looking for a setting that's about progress, fresh solutions, and where the old conceits of alignment are thrown right out the window, then Sundara might be for you.

Also, you can slot these locations into existing settings to use on their own, if you're just looking for something to plug into an empty spot on your campaign map! So in addition to Archbliss, consider grabbing the following:

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!

- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.

- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.

- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!