The City's name is Asylum (or has come to mean that)

1. The City's name is Asylum (or has come to mean that)

   #1

   Something occured and the those in the grand city have gone mad. Was it a curse, a prophecy, a spell gone wrong, or a magik item opened? Nobody allegedly knows. The city guard on the city walls, saw the madness and were apparently not touched. They tried to keep the crazy ones inside, by blocking the gates and sealing the entrances to the large city wall. The region's leader, eventually sent the Army there to reinforce the city guards, to hold the mad ones in and sends supplies to feed them. Since the mad men are incredibly strong and immune to pain, if they escape it would be a plague upon the land, yet there was hope that someday they could be restored (perhaps a royal heir or a royal household was in the city). Perhaps they are nearly immortal. The city guards who occasionall decend into the city to drop supplies and stop fires believe that to be true.
   
   Now a small town, with its own walls, rings the old grand city. Over the years, the army and guards, have created a town that supports them. They think themselves immune to the madness, yet their proximity to them, means they are only slightly odd... perhaps becoming mad. The crazed watch over the mad. A running joke is that someday, someone will man their walls to hold them in.
   
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   Occasionally they send the mad from other areas of the land to Asylum. You might encounter an army unit herding some crazies to the city, while taking them supplies.
   
   An interesting idea is to be a young person inside the city, being a little nuts, rather than insane, As you advance in experience you, you advance into madness.
   
   The leader of the country uses Asylum as a prison for political prisoners. "I am the Duke of Ellington! yah, right, another crazy. But, I AM!. Yah. Right. Move along."
   
   An interesting idea is to be a new army officer assigned to watching over the city and realizing how insane the officers are. Are you just nuts? Is that why they sent you here? If they realize you will tell others they are insane, they will stop you... perhaps throwing you into the grand city.
   
   Perhaps you have to risk Asylum to reach the great library, or find a political prisoner, or find the orb of McGuffin (an object of power that is requires to save the city/ world/ temple), or even on an expedition of healers to try and heal the mad.

2. oops... see Maad People below

   #2

   Want to give credit where credit is due.
   
   There is a game call Asylum as well. When the world went mad. Interesting, but not really.
   
   Additional ideas...
   Perhaps it has been centuries, now the land is farmed by zombie automotons. The only living people in the region are the guards around the city.
   
   Perhaps the entire country is comprised of great cities converted to asylums.
   
   Perhaps there is a gate of somekind in the city where extradimensional things come through and possess the humanfolk.
   .....They want to communicate with the sane to save their world, yet their presence causes madness.
   .....They would escape the city, but the unique stone of the wall wards them. Talismans of that stone protect you from them.
   ..... Perhaps they already have escaped the city and have prepared for an invasion. The city is their staging area.

3. The City's name is Asylum (or has come to mean that)

   #3

   Maybe a few people in the city are immune to the madness for whatever reason. They would have to
   A: Convince the guards/caretakers that they really are sane.
   B: Figure out why they, among everyone else, are immune.
   C: Figure out what to do with that information.
   
   P.S. - I think I'll use this idea in my in-progress game world. 'Tis neat. :D

4. The City's name is Asylum (or has come to mean that)

   #4

   This is a really good idea. Maybe the king or ruler of the city finds out a way to control those zombies and uses them for fights and then sends them again inside the assylum.

5. OHHH.... Cool

   #5

   I seem to be on a jag with these orbs....
   
   But imagine if a greater orb went mad and took the city with it (given its ability to manipulate people). It could be pushing the regions leader to supporting the poor people of Asylum in its more lucid moments (or asking one of orbs if it would take help the city out).
   
   Even nastier... the orb is telepathic and conducting an experiment on the human minds inside the city (and nearby). It may not be cruel or evil per say, but simply sees the humans as transient lab rats.

6. The City's name is Asylum (or has come to mean that)

   #6

   Interesting concept. It might be a psionic being of any type, or maybe even a mage experimenting with mind magics (ie, illusions, enchanments, etc.).

7. The City's name is Asylum (or has come to mean that)

   #7

   It could even be a forgotten god the people once had. He is angry for being forgotten, and is cursing his former servants.

8. Actually...

   #8

   Yep. It could be anything. The only people who know for sure are totally mad. I actually like it that nobody knows, it just is. We can put out a number of theories, but we should never say this is right because it would kill the mystery and make it just another puzzle for the players to solve.

9. Re: Actually...

   #9

   Yep. It could be anything. The only people who know for sure are totally mad. I actually like it that nobody knows, it just is. We can put out a number of theories, but we should never say this is right because it would kill the mystery and make it just another puzzle for the players to solve.

   
   
   There is an easy and fast way to know...
   
   ...but then you are yourself a candidate for the Asylum. :twisted:

10. The City's name is Asylum (or has come to mean that)

    #10

    yes, only a mad-man seeks madness himself.

11. Not true.

    #11

    Madness can be quite liberating. There is a fine line between madness and genius, and sometimes that line is very, very, blury.
    
    Mad people see the world in different ways, not constrained by binding (or blinding even) paradigns. They can see solutions to problems or innocvations that so called sane people can not seen. It is only those who see the world different who can't relate to those who see the world normally that we lock up (well we should lock up, but now they waunder the streets in and out of halfway houses and medical facilities). Those who can vaugely relate, we pay large sums of money for their interesting ways of looking at the world and the problems that their way of looking at the world can solve.

12. For anyone reading this post....

    #12

    This setting has been entered in the setting section, setting=2.
    
    I think Asylum is an intersting fantasy idea. It is certainly different from most fantasy entries. If you have an idea for a plot or idea revolving around Asylum, feel free to add it. PM me, MoonHunter, and I will add it to the Asylum post so it will come up.
    
    All I ask is that you "don't solve the mystery" of the place. Every GM who runs this should make up their own reason for why this occurs.
    
    As for reasons, we have a angry God, something in the water, an insane magik user/ psionic creature, one of those glowing balls in Star Trek Original Series that eats madness rather than hate or death, or an ORB of Corvus. Pick one of ours, or make it up for yourself.
    
    Have fun....

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